The Comeback
by charley07
Summary: Jude thinks she's moved on. Then Tommy comes back with a secret. Is Jude ready to let her guard down again to let Tommy back in? Some chapters are short, some are longer.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this was written at the end of season 2 and everything from "Date with the Night" is included, but nothing from season 3. And this is my first story, so be nice. It's already finished, as is it's sequel and almost the sequel's sequel (lol) but before I just post it all, I want to see how this is received.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Instant Star_, but like everyone else, I totally wish I did.**

Jude Harrison stood in the doorway of the small room inside St. Andrews Church, watching her older sister, Sadie, prepare to walk down the aisle to her boyfriend of a year, Kwest Taylor, who was also Jude's music producer. "Sade, you look absolutely stunning."

Sadie turned to see her sister, in her black satin strapless gown that cut off at her knees, smiling at her. She knew Jude was happy for her but she still saw the sadness. The look of disdain was still in Jude's fabulous blue eyes, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "Thanks, Jude. You look totally awesome, too."

"Well, I'm way too pale, but black was the best option," Jude joked, walking up behind Sadie, who turned back to the mirror. "I'm glad you pulled your hair back; it shows off your angles."

"Okay, Portia," Sadie joked, referring to G-Major Records' appearance expert and publicist. G-Major was the label Jude had released her two multi-platinum albums on. "God, when she and I went shopping for my dress while you visited _TRL_ in New York, she was so critical about all of them."

"I think you made the right choice," Jude assured her, fixing the back of Sadie's Vera Wang gown. "So, I think I just saw Dad appear at the end of the aisle. Are you ready?"

Jude, as Sadie's maid of honor, helped her sister down the hallway and hugged her tightly. "Oh, did the best man ever show up? I know he was flying in last night, but weather was pretty bad."

"Uhh, yeah," Sadie muttered nervously, as the doors leading into the church opened and the organ began playing 'Here Comes the Bride.' She nudged Jude. "Okay, go."

"Right," Jude breathed, gripping her bouquet of pink tulips and starting slowly down the aisle. She smiled at her mom and step-dad, Don. She winked at her band, The Spiederman Mind Explosion, and also at her longtime best friend, Jamie Andrews, who was with his crazy girlfriend, Patsy Sewer. She grinned at Portia and her older brother, Darius Mills, G-Major's president. Just as she was reaching the altar, she looked at the man next to Kwest. "Tommy?" she breathed.

He was back. Tom Quincy had finally returned.


	2. Chapter 2

The ceremony went off without a hitch, with Sadie and Kwest giving beautiful vows and ending with the 'I Dos.' Jude smiled and walked tersely back down the aisle with Tommy next to her, staying as far from his as possible.

"What are you doing here?" she yelled, once they wedding party was downstairs, waiting for the church to clear to take pictures. "Why is he here?" she screeched at Sadie and Kwest, who were desperately trying to stay out of it.

"Come on, Jude," Kwest rationalized. "He's still my best friend, even if he's not the greatest guy on the planet."

"Oh, thanks," Tommy said dryly. "Jude, can I try to explain what happened?"

"You mean, explain why after we finally worked everything out and were ready for a real date, you left? Or why I haven't heard from you in a year? Or why no one told me you were coming so I could bow out of this?" She turned and locked herself into one of the Sunday school rooms.

"Two doors," Sadie told her, walking in on the other side. "Come on, Jude, you don't want to be miserable on my wedding night. I won't let you. With the bridal power vested in me on this most holy of days, I will not allow you to mope all night. And, you're still singing at the reception later."

Jude sighed angrily. "I haven't performed since he left, Sadie. Why do I find it not so coincidental that the night I'm finally working up the nerve to, he's back?"

"Yeah, that was planned," Sadie admitted lamely. "Look, I was uneasy with it in the beginning, too, but, I love Kwest and he still thinks of Tommy as a brother, so I couldn't refuse. Of course, I _thought _he had told you until last night when he said he still hadn't. Now, it's all over and done with, so can't you just be the bigger person and come out for pictures?"

"Why did he leave?" Jude whispered, holding back tears. "Where did he go? Why couldn't he call?"

Sadie hugged her sister tightly. "I don't know, Jude. You're gonna have to let him explain it to you," she lied, knowing everything that had happened. Tommy had told Kwest over the phone, who in turn, told Sadie. "It's gonna be okay, I promise."

"Yeah, yeah, so you keep saying," Jude muttered, following Sadie out of the room. "Are they ready for us upstairs yet?" She refused to look at Tommy.

"No," Kwest shook his head. "My 83-year-old grandpa is having trouble getting out of his seat."

"Oh," Jude nodded, standing in a corner, thinking about the song she was singing. Sadie hadn't asked for anything new, just something that fit the occasion, so Jude had painfully chosen 'White Lines,' a song she'd put on her second album. Another song about Tommy. Now, she wasn't sure she could do it. There was always 'Your Eyes,' even though it didn't fit nearly as well. 'White Lines' was all about being led back to the person you love, no matter what, and that was definitely Sadie and Kwest. They'd had their rough spots and had almost cancelled the nuptials, but they found their way back. They always did and Jude knew they always would. "So, uhh, are you guys excited about the big honeymoon in Tahiti?"

"Yeah!" Sadie cried. "Beaches everyday, going out every night."

"Or not," Kwest joked.

"Yeah, that's gross," Jude told them. "A little too much for the sister."

Sadie's eyes lit up. "Aww, you're a sister-in-law now, too. I can't believe I'm married."

"To a bum," Tommy teased. "So, where are you gonna live?"

"Well, as of now, I'm living with Jude at the house, so we're gonna move all my stuff to his place when we get back," Sadie answered. "Jude's bought an apartment near G-Major."

"Like at my old place?" Tommy asked, looking directly at Jude.

She didn't return the glance and shrugged vaguely. "Don't worry about it."

Suddenly, the basement door opened and Victoria, Sadie and Jude's mom, appeared. "They're ready for you."

The four of them followed her upstairs and back into the church where the photographer was ready.

"Okay, we'll do shots of the wedding party first," he decided. "We'll have the bride and groom in the middle, the maid of honor on the groom's other side, and the best man next to the bride."

Jude took her place next to Kwest and put on a fake smile. "I hate you for this, you know that, right?"

"Smile!" the photographer cried, snapping pictures from different angles and with different cameras. "Okay, how about we do the bride and groom now?"

"Lovely," Victoria sighed, watching Sadie and Kwest pose like newlyweds. "I remember being like that."

"With Dad or Don?" Jude asked bitterly. Don wasn't a completely horrible guy, but she just liked her dad. "Oh, that's right. When you married Don, you had it at the Justice of the Peace without us."

Victoria looked at her youngest daughter. "Jude, honey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jude rolled her eyes, walking to an exit near the side for a break before they needed her again. Outside, she found Darius still there, talking on his cell phone. "Hey."

He saw her and told the other end he'd see them soon. "What's going on? Shouldn't you be in there getting pictures?"

"Shouldn't you be at the reception hall, drinking and laughing with your sister?" she shot back.

"I should," he nodded, "but I'm scared. See, I used to date Kwest's cousin, Marina, and I ended it pretty badly and haven't seen her since. Now, she wasn't at the wedding cause her flight was delayed but Portia just called and said she's at the reception."

Jude smiled and leaned against a railing. "Yeah, I know exactly how it is to see someone you'd thought you'd forgotten all about."

"Right," Darius said. "So, I assume your reunion with Tom wasn't magical?"

She eyed him dryly. "Darius, really? After a year of no calls or anything, did you really think I'd jump into his arms?"

"I guess not," he chuckled. "Well, I talked to him yesterday, for quite a bit actually, and I'm gonna give him his job back."

"What?" she yelled. "You just mean as _a_ producer, not _my _producer, right?"

"Jude, you've been back recording for three months and we don't have anything usable yet," he pointed out. "Your best stuff came from working with Tommy and you know it. Your first two albums were amazing and then you just gave up."

"I had reason to," she put in. "A lot happened the night he left, remember? Fleeing the release party, the blackmailing, the breakdown? It kinda left me emotionally exhausted. Had all that stuff been all that happened, and he'd been there to help me move on, I'd be a good eight songs in. But, he just left. And I know you hated what was going on between us, but you said it yourself: my best stuff came from him. Now, he's just back and what? Expects that everything is gonna be like it was? That's a mistake on his part."

"Umm, Jude, come on," Sadie said, sticking her head outside. "They want to get pictures of us with Mom and Dad."

Jude sighed. "See you at the reception, Darius. And hey, do with Marina what I plan to do with Tommy: avoidance." She clasped his arm and walked back inside.

After pictures with their parents and just Jude and Sadie, Jude thought it was finally time to go.

"No, wait," the photographer told her. "Sadie and Kwest recommended pictures of the maid of honor and best man together."

"Excuse me?" Jude asked. "They _recommended _it? Like, two weeks ago when Kwest was planning on someone else being the best man?"

"Uhh, there never was anyone else," Kwest spoke up, getting it a second later. "Oh. Well, just a couple? Please, Jude? It'll be for me and your sister."

Feeling defeated, Jude stood at the altar next to Tommy.

"Alright, why don't you face each other?" the photographer suggested. "Tommy, put your right arm around her waist and then Jude, you put your right hand on his chest and sort of pop up your left foot?"

"I wasn't aware _we_ were getting married," Tommy whispered into her ear.

"Good thing we're not then, huh?" she shot back, smiling for the camera. "Just smile and stop speaking to me, Tommy."

As soon as the photographer started to put away his equipment, the wedding party was ushered outside to their limo. Once inside, Jude grabbed a champagne glass and filled it to the brim. "Cheers," she muttered, drinking it all at once.

"Whoa, slow down," Sadie advised, taking the flute away. "You'll have plenty of time to get drunk at the reception _after _you sing."

"You're singing? What song?" Tommy wanted to know.

"Don't worry about it," Jude snapped.

Kwest glanced sideways at Sadie. "She's gonna do 'White Lines,' actually. It's her gift to us."

"Hey, maybe your gift can be to go, say you're not coming back, and leave?" Jude said icily. "I mean, singing is my thing and that seems to be yours, so it fits."

"We're in for a long night," Sadie muttered into her new husband's ear. "I knew we should've told her."

Kwest nodded tiredly. "I thought she might like the surprise. Guess I was finally wrong for once."

"Oh, God, I married one of _those _guys," Sadie whined.

"One of _what_ guys?" Jude asked. "One who leaves for a year and doesn't keep in touch? I'm sorry."

"No, one of those guys who is never wrong and always on a high horse," Sadie joked as the limo pulled into the parking lot of the reception hall. "Okay, we're about to make our first appearance as man and wife."

"Technically, you did after the priest announced it," Jude pointed out.

Sadie shook her head. "No, we went in engaged and _came out _married. Now, we're officially going in married!"

"Married," Jude sighed. "There's a dissolving institution."

"Hey, Debbie Downer, cool it," Sadie warned, referring to the _Saturday Night Live_ skit. "Remember what I said about this being mine and Kwest's day?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jude muttered, climbing out. "I'll sing and then get trashed."

"Good idea, kid," Tommy smirked. "18 doesn't make you invincible."

"Ladies and gentlemen, before I announce the happy couple, let's give it up for the maid of honor and best man: Jude Harrison and Tom Quincy!" the DJ called into his microphone. "Back together once again!"

Tommy opened and doors and led Jude inside. She hardly touched his arm and took her seat at the wedding party's table, opposite him.

"And now, join me in welcoming to the party Mr. _and_ Mrs. Kwest Taylor!"

Everyone clapped wildly as Sadie and Kwest entered. Jude couldn't help but laugh when she saw Vincent Spiederman, or just Spiederman to most, her lead guitarist, stand on his chair and whoop.

"Can I sing now?" Jude pleaded when her sister took her seat. "Please?"

"Go ahead," Sadie agreed. "Just don't ruin it because you're upset."

Jude took a deep breath and made her way to the stage where a lone stool and her acoustic guitar were set up. "Umm, hi, everyone. I'm Jude Harrison, Sadie's sister, and I decided that my gift to them, or what they _think _is my gift to them, would be to sing at their reception. Now, Sadie said that I could do something old, so I'm gonna sing the song 'White Lines' from my second album. When I, uhh, wrote it, I was thinking about the person I loved, telling them I needed space, but no matter what, I'd be led back to them. I guess that fits Sadie and Kwest cause they're not the absolute perfect couple or anything. They fight and make up, and then fight some more, but no matter what happens, they're still madly in love. So, Sade and Kwest, congratulations and I love you. Plus, don't think we're not going to expect kids in the near future. I want babies to spoil." She smiled and started playing.

"She looks good, huh?" Portia said, pulling Tommy to the dance floor. "Even though you left without a trace, it's good to see you."

"Remember our wedding?" Tommy smirked. "The Happy Little Chapel in Las Vegas? For $50, we got a ceremony, an all-you-could-eat buffet, and free veil and hat."

"And a very angry Darius when we got home," Portia added. "Hey, we were young, stupid, and at the time, it seemed like fun. Looking back, I'm kinda glad we did it. If we hadn't, would we be such good friends?"

"If getting married in Vegas makes us friends, maybe I should talk Jude into it," Tommy scoffed, watching her play. "I remember the night we recorded this song. It wasn't working in the studio and I didn't know why. Then, she told me she'd written it about me on the bus and that she couldn't just conjure up those feelings in the booth. So, we lugged all the equipment outside and I had her record it in the bus. It was one of our best recordings ever. One of the best nights of my life, now that I think about it."

"Look, Darius told me the situation," Portia admitted. "When are you going to tell her?"

"When she sits down to let me," he answered.

"Where's she at?" Portia asked seriously. "Did you bring her?"

Tommy nodded. "She's with Kwest's parents right now. I'm gonna find her as soon as the song ends."

"I'd like to meet her," Portia said. "It'll be awkward, I think, but everyone will get used to it."

When Jude finished, she walked off stage and stopped to talk to Spiederman, Wally Robbins, and Kyle Bateman, who were the other two members of the Spiederman Mind Explosion. "Spied, I really loved the applause you gave when they came in. Classic."

"Did the photographer get it?" he asked hopefully. "That's why I did it."

"Never does anything unless there's an audience," Jude smirked. "So, does anyone want something to drink? God knows I do."

Spiederman got serious for half a minute. "Yeah, Tommy's back, huh? How's that going?"

"Don't know, don't care," she shrugged, lying to three of her best friends. "He's back, producing me, and I have absolutely no say in it."

"Hey, who's that?" Wally asked, nodding in the distance. "Kwest has a little sister?"

"Nope, only child," Jude replied, following Wally's gaze to see Tommy picking up a fairly dark-skinned little girl, who looked about five, from Joe and Claire Taylor.

"Tommy's date?" Spiederman joked. "Man, I thought he was robbing the cradle with you, dude." He punched Jude on the back and the three walked away to drive Liam Fenway, G-Major's A & R rep, crazy.

Jude marched back to the wedding party table where Sadie was just sitting down after the receiving line. "Sade, who's the little girl with Tommy?"

"You have to let him tell you," Sadie said quietly. "It's not my place, Jude."

"This is ridiculous!" Jude cried in exasperation, slowly approaching Tommy, who was talking to Darius and Portia. "Hey, guys," she smiled at the brother and sister. She glanced at Tommy. "And who is this?" she asked lightly.

"Umm, can we go outside?" Tommy asked, sitting the girl down. "Sophie, why don't you sit here with Darius and Portia, okay? I'll be right back." He took Jude's hand and led her outside.

"What's going on, Tommy?" she demanded. "Who's the kid?"

He sighed. "When I left last year, I hadn't planned on it; you saw that at the show the night before I went. The guy who came for me was my uncle Allen, Jude. And the little girl inside? Well, that's my niece, Sophia. See, when I got to Montana, where my younger sister, Nicole, had been living, I realized that I hadn't really contacted her in about a year, so I wasn't aware that Nicole had ovarian cancer, but she had." He cleared his throat. "Anyways, she had died two days before I got there and I was legally made Sophie's guardian cause her dad was some loser stoner Nicole had met in high school. Now, I know you're mad that I didn't call or come back, but I wasn't ready to put you through that. Plus, Sophie was used to Montana, even at four, and I wasn't ready to change her entire life. So, that's my story. That's the reason I had to leave."

"I can't believe this," Jude whispered.

"I know it's a lot, but I hope we can work this out," he told her, taking her hand.

She pulled it back. "No, I can't believe you couldn't trust me enough to tell me this. Do you think I'm stupid? Or is the age thing coming back into play? I thought we had moved on from all of that, Tommy."

"Jude, if I had told you, I _know _you would've wanted to come and I couldn't let you do that," he said. "I wasn't about to let you throw away your career for me."

"But you know I would've," she spoke up quietly, tears silently rolling from her eyes. "I was so completely in love with you, I would've done anything. Finally, after a while, I started to get over it. I just thought you had moved on in your life, so I moved on in mine. And now, you're back and I'm not ready for this. Especially since you have a kid now, Tommy. I can't let you come in and be such a big part of my life anymore. I have to let you produce me, but that's all I can afford for now." She stared at him sadly for another minute and then walked inside.

"Hey, are you alright?" Spiederman asked as Jude pushed past him. "Did you talk to Tommy? Jude, what's going on?"

"Don't worry about it!" Jude snapped, making her way to a private bathroom. She locked the door and slid down the wall, sobbing. How could this happen? Tommy was responsible for his niece, he wanted her to understand, and she just couldn't. Sure, she could understand why he'd gone, but not why he'd stayed away without contacting her, especially since he spoke to Kwest and Darius.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the door and Patsy, Jamie's weird girlfriend and one of G-Major's newer artists, walked in. "Hey, delinquent."

"How did you get in?" Jude asked, wiping her eyes. "I locked the door."

"Jude, I'm practically a professional lock-picker," Patsy replied, holding up a bobby pin. "The night I met you, we ended up in jail, remember?" She stood at the mirror, pulled a flask from her bag, and took a swig. "Champagne doesn't really do it for me." She looked to Jude. "What's with the streaky look? Is that big in Europe or something? I never figured you for the trend-following type."

"Long night," Jude sighed, standing up and washing off her face. "So, I noticed that you and Jamie seem to be doing really good these days?"

"I like him," Patsy shrugged nonchalantly. "Keeps me out of trouble and helps Kwest in the studio. Plus, he's got a wild side of his own."

Jude remembered when Jamie had smashed one of Spiederman's guitars on stage to impress Patsy. "I guess so. That's so weird cause the Jamie Andrews I grew up with would much rather read a book then smash a Fender."

"I bring out the beast in him," Patsy half-smiled. "So, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, thanks," Jude assured her.

Jude and Patsy left the bathroom and went in opposite directions. Patsy found Jamie talking with Liam and Jude sat at the wedding party table with Kwest.

"Where have you been?" Kwest asked her. "Sadie's been freaking out."

"First, I was outside with Tommy, listening to his sob story, and then I locked myself in a bathroom to cry about it," she explained. "Patsy found me a few minutes ago."

"Oh, so you know about Sophie?" Kwest said. "Sad story, huh?"

She scoffed. "I love being the last to know this. Especially if it deals with Tommy."

"Jude, you're the most important person in the world to Tommy, other than Sophie now, and he knew that telling you would break your heart," Kwest told her. "He was doing what he thought was best."

Suddenly, Sadie appeared at the table. "Come on, we're gonna do the bouquet and garter."

"If I could have all single females to the dance floor!" the DJ called out over the music that was slowing down. "Sadie is ready to toss her bouquet."

"I'm purposely gonna throw it to you," Sadie whispered in Jude's ear as she dragged her younger sister out.

"Sade, the purpose of this is for girls with boyfriends to get them to marry them," Jude told her. "I'm not in a relationship for that to work."

Sadie eyed Tommy across the room. "We'll see."

"Hardly," Jude muttered. "Things have never been this bad between Tommy and I; not even when you first started dating him."

"Yeah, yeah," Sadie laughed, walking on stage. "Okay, so I know I shouldn't play favorites, so everyone jumble up so I can't find anyone in particular."

All the girls smiled, looked at Jude, and moved about.

"1...2...3!" Sadie yelled, tossing the fake bouquet of roses over her shoulder. "Well, what do you know? My dear little sister caught it."

"Yes, how weird," Jude nodded sarcastically. "It's like you knew _exactly_ where I was."

Kwest patted Jude on the back and made his way to the center of the floor, dragging a chair for Sadie. "Alright, guys, get out here! Tommy, Darius, Liam, Jamie, I wanna see you all out on the floor right now."

Jude and Portia stood to the side, laughing as the DJ played some racy music for Kwest to take off Sadie's garter. Then, Jude doubled over as Kwest threw it and the guys all dove into the middle to catch it.

"I've got it! Dude, I've got it!" Tommy yelled at Spiederman, holding his arm in the air, waving it over his head.

"Alright, if I could have Jude and Tommy, coincidently the maid of honor and best man, to the floor and everyone else clear out, they'll share a dance," the DJ requested, playing 'The Dance' by Garth Brooks.

"You got a DJ that plays country?" Jude asked Sadie, trying to stall dancing with Tommy. "I'm so disappointed."

"Hey, Garth Brooks is classic," Sadie defended, pushing Jude to the center of the dance floor. "Now, just get it over with and you can drink until your lungs get sore."

Tommy held a hand out and swept her to the floor. "I know that it's gonna take time for you to digest what I told you, but don't shut me out, Jude. I still need you."

"Tommy, enough with the flattery," she sighed, feeling everyone's eyes on them. "Look, this is really awkward for me, okay? I mean, a year ago, you left, no contact, no nothing and now, all of a sudden, you're back, you have a little girl with you, and that's a lot for me to handle. Sure, I understand your situation better, but I'm not gonna just forgive you completely. I mean, a call would've been nice. I would've even accepted a two lined e-mail."

"Alright, I can accept that," he nodded gravely. "So, have you looked at any apartments?"

She half-smiled. "Sadie already knows this, but I'm moving into your old building. I'm down the hall from your old place."

"Oh, are you?" he smirked in his own Tommy-like fashion. "Coincidence?"

"Nice place and close to G-Major," she corrected. "If your apartment had ever been clean, it would've been fabulous, but to you, the floor was just a giant shelf that you threw everything on to. I remember not being able to find your phone on more than one occasion."

"Yes, I admit that I'm a little unorganized, but you're a neat freak," he shot back. "Which is weird, cause looking at you, I'd never guess it." He gave her a once-over. "Although, tonight you look amazing, girl."

_Girl_. The nickname struck Jude hard. He'd been calling her that for years and hearing it now brought back so many memories. The pier, working on '24 Hours.' Their big kiss in the rain the night Shay had dumped her on her 16th birthday. And finally, spending the night with him in The Chrome Car above her rehearsal space she shared with SME on her 17th.

"I missed you," she finally spoke up quietly. "I mean, I get why you had to leave, but I really needed you when you left. I went through my first big stalker/blackmail ordeal and it got ugly."

He sighed. "I know. Darius told me all about it and if I had known about it back then, I would've come back and killed the guy."

"Yeah, well, the cops got him and he's away now," she explained. "So, this is a really long song."

"That's why I picked it," he admitted sheepishly. "I bribed the DJ cause I knew you'd do it cause you'd look bad if you didn't and I just wanted to make sure you were okay with everything."

"I will be," she shrugged. "It'll take a while, but I'm a big girl."

"I know," he smiled softly, looking unlike the Tommy she'd once known.

When the song ended, Tommy let her go and watched her go off and talk to Spiederman and Jamie.

"Hi, Daddy!" Sophia cried out, jumping into his arms. "Dance!"

"Yeah," he sighed, rocking back and forth to the Carole King song that was now playing. "Hey, Soph, why don't you dance with Kwest while I talk to Sadie, huh?" he asked, passing her to Kwest who was talking to his parents. "Take her for a minute."

"Hey," Sadie smiled when Tommy found her admiring the four-tiered cake. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is," he agreed. "I'm really happy for you, Sadie. And I'm glad you found someone who treats you better than I did, especially since it's my best friend."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Hey, I know you were desperately in love with my sister."

"Speaking of Jude, I need to tell you something," he said nervously. "I told her that Sophie is my niece."

"What?!" she cried out. "Tommy, you are just asking for it, aren't you?" She sat down at an empty table nearby. "Look, Jude is my sister and I love her and want her to be happy. And right now, as much as she hates to admit it, you're still gonna make her happy. Now, do you think the feeling will stay the same when she finds out you lied again?"

"Can you stay quiet?" he pleaded, sitting down next to her. "Look, I saw her face when I said she was my niece. I don't know if I could handle her reaction to knowing that Sophie is actually the daughter I fathered from a stupid one-night stand five years ago."

Sadie sighed. "Tommy, I'll cover it for now, and I'll tell Kwest and others as well, but this can't go on forever. You have to promise to not let her heart get broken again."

"That's the last thing I want," he assured her sincerely. "I'm still desperately in love with your sister."

"I know." She stood up, kissed his cheek, and went to find her parents.

"Uhh, if I could get everyone's attention?" Jude called out over the microphone. "So, Sadie and Kwest did all the fun stuff before eating tonight and before we sit down to dinner, I'd like to give my toast." She cleared her throat. "Umm, so I've obviously known Sadie my whole life, as she's my sister, and I've always looked up to her. She may not know it and I may not have always shown it, but I have. She was the pretty one and the smart one and the good girl. I was the weird red head with bad grades and loud music. Anyways, when I won _Instant Star_, everything sort of changed. And that's how Kwest came in. At first, he was just Tommy's assistant, helping him with me in the studio and doing whatever Darius told him. Then, when Tommy broke Sadie's heart," she paused for stifled laughs around the room, "Kwest was there. And they just fell in love. Tommy had been the gorgeous, famed ex-boy band god, if that's what you'd call him, but Kwest was the suave, good-looking good guy. And so, the whirlwind romance started. It was slow at first, cause she'd been hurt, but Kwest mended her heart. Gave her something new to look at it. I mean, our eyes are in the front of our heads to look at the future, not the past." She stopped again and glanced at Tommy. "Anyways, when they told me they were getting married three months ago, only nine months in, I wasn't shocked. I mean, do they not look like the happiest people in the world?" She smiled and held up her glass. "Oh, before I forget. So, I said that singing was my gift, but if when you two get to Tahiti and you're in a private bungalow, don't tell them there was a mix-up." She winked in Sadie and Kwest's direction. "To Sadie and Kwest! I love you guys."

Everyone clapped as Tommy took the microphone from her. "Okay, I'll just pretend she didn't just say what a horrible person I used to be and get on with it. Well, I've known Kwest since he was helping his uncle Johnny back in my Boyz Attack days, and he's stuck with me through it all. Marriages, divorces, deaths, and whatnot. When I was asked by Georgia Bevans to come and produce her new hot shot, I was reserved about it. I knew all about _Instant Star_ and thought it was pretty wack, I believe was the word I used. But, when I got to G-Major, and Kwest and I hit the booth, we became the Dream Team. Our mixes were awesome and I'd never been happier. Through little Jude, I met Sadie. When we met, I guess I was still an arrogant punk, but she was gorgeous, so how could I resist? Anyways, after so long, I went back to my stupid ways and we split up. I regret how I treated her and will apologize for it everyday of my life if she wants. Anyways, I went away and when I found out that she and Kwest were marrying, I was genuinely happy for them. I'd never considered them, but once I had, it fit. So, to my best friend and his _wife_, congratulations!" he called out, chugging the water he'd put in his champagne flute.

"How classy of you," Jude scoffed when Tommy joined the wedding party at their table. "At least you admitted that you're stupid."

"I'm an adult, Jude," he told her sternly. "An adult admits when they're wrong." He caught Sadie give him a look, as did Kwest, whom she'd obviously told. "Usually."

After Sadie and Kwest had cut the cake, Jude walked back outside and sat down on a stone wall. A lot had happened in one night. Tommy's return, her sister's wedding, and the fact that when she went back to G-Major, she'd be going back to work with the guy who had driven her to write every meaningful song she'd ever done. 'White Lines,' 'Skin,' 'There's Us,' 'Time To Be Your 21,' and even 'Natural Disaster' were all about him and she knew it. There was no more denying the chemistry that was still between them. Yes, she'd spent the last year hating him and moving on, but now that he was back, every emotion she'd ever known about him filled her. During her brief relationships with Shay, Jamie, and Spiederman, she'd known all along that no matter the age gap, she was destined for Tommy. She'd never tell him this, but he'd made her who she'd become.

"Hey," a cool voice said behind her. She smiled and watched Jamie sit down next to her. "Not up for the Macarena?" He mocked the dance.

"In case you've forgotten, I believe that when that dance blossomed, you made me stand in your living rooms for hours, teaching it to you," she laughed. "And now, you act as though you never mastered it."

"Hey, quiet!" he said nervously. "Patsy would deduct me of some cool points for that."

"If I were to ever spew out embarrassing stories about you, it's not like you don't have hundreds about me," she shrugged.

He smiled knowingly. "Like your Britney Spears CDs under your bed and the Boyz Attack folder you held with an iron grip in the 4th grade. Yes, I do know many daunting things about you, Jude Harrison."

"Hey, Jamie, when everything with us exploded last year, did you ever think that you wouldn't be able to forgive me?" she asked quietly. "Like, what I'd done was so bad that it was completely unforgivable?"

"For a little bit, yeah," he admitted. "But I have a feeling this isn't about us, Jude. I have a feeling this has to do with a certain back-from-the-dead producer of yours?"

"Yeah," she sighed in exasperation. "When he left, for a long time, I just wanted him to come back. I wasn't mad, just anxious. Then, as time went on, I realized that he wasn't coming home and I got mad. Furious, in fact. Then, I started to move on with help from you, Sadie, and Spied. Now, he's back and everything I worked on fixing has blown up in my face all over again."

"I figured things would get bad," he admitted. "I overheard Liam and Darius talking about it last night at G-Major before the rehearsal dinner. Anyways, I don't really know what to tell you here, Jude. If I were you and this was all happening to me, and I knew how I'd felt about him before he left, especially with all the trouble he caused your personal life with other guys, I'd say explore it. Not necessarily jump into a relationship, but don't rule it out."

"I wish it were that easy," she complained. "Deep down, I know I still love him, but on the surface, I still kind of want to bash his perfect face in. Of course, now there's his niece, Sophia, and I just don't know how to deal with all this."

"Niece?" Jamie repeated in confusion. "She's his niece?"

She shrugged. "Apparently she's his sister's daughter and when his sister died last year, he was made her legal guardian."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Are you sure she's his niece? I swear I heard her call him 'Daddy.' Maybe I'm wrong?"

Jude stood up and walked back inside, determined to settle this. She found Tommy with the little girl, talking to Portia and Kwest's cousin, Marina. "Can I talk to you?"

"Uhh, sure," he said, handing Sophie to Portia. "I'll be right back." He followed Jude to a corner. "What's going on?"

"Okay, now you told me that Sophia is your niece," she started, "but Jamie swears he heard her refer to you as her dad? What's going on, Tommy?"

He took a deep breath. "Look, she's never known her real father, alright? When I came in, I hadn't seen her since she was born and she doesn't understand. I mean, I'm taking care of her now so it's only normal for her to think I'm her dad. Come on, Jude, I've lied to you enough, don't you think? Why would I make it worse?"

"Have you explained you're not her father?" she asked him. "I mean, you can't expect her to go through life thinking you're her dad, you know."

"For now, while she's still a toddler, I'm gonna let her go," he explained. "She wouldn't understand now anyways. She's still too young."

"I guess you're right," she agreed. "God, this whole thing is totally screwing with my head."

"Hey, it's a lot to take," he told her. "How do you think I felt when all of it was forced onto me at one time?"

"That must've sucked," she admitted. "I'm sorry to hear about your sister."

"So was I," he muttered. "I wish I'd have known about it before she died." He got quiet for a minute. "Growing up, like in grade school, Nicole and I were really close. She was the naive sister and I the intimidating older brother. Then, when I was expelled in grade seven for fighting and never went back to school, we kinda fell apart. When Boyz Attack came about and I started hanging out with Chaz, I gave up my family and I hate myself for that every second. She was my _sister_, Jude, and I never even called her on her birthday."

Jude could see how broken he was about it and she pulled him into a hug, sending an electric shock through both of them. Yeah, the chemistry was hotter than ever. "I've never really lost anyone close to me, but I can at least empathize."

"Thanks," he whispered into her hair, trying to hold on as long as possible without looking like he was trying too hard. "So, when are you moving into your new place?"

"Well, I had planned on next week, but with Sadie and Kwest leaving, I don't think I can do it alone. My dad is going to Montreal on business and my mother and Don are still on their honeymoon, even a year later. I'm just gonna wait until they get back from Tahiti, I think. It's that or let Spiederman, Wally, and Kyle do it alone and that's frightening. I mean, I've got things that will break."

"I can help," he offered. "I mean, Sophie and I are gonna move back into my old place and I'll be there already. Why don't you round up the boys, Andrews, and Patsy on, say, Monday and we'll do it then?"

"Yeah?" she asked. "Cool. So, could I meet Sophia?"

Hearing her ask that broke his heart. The only girl he'd ever really loved, the one girl who kept him from even thinking about any others, and he was telling her the biggest lie of all time. "Umm, definitely." He took her hand and led her back to Marina and Portia. "I'll take her now." He picked up Sophia and turned to Jude. "Sophie, this is my, uhh, good friend, Jude Harrison."

"Hi," Sophia smiled beautifully. "He talks about you."

"Well, I think he's usually an okay guy," Jude told her. "You're so cute."

"Thank you," Sophia said politely.

"Oh, she must've gotten the politeness from her mother, Quincy," Jude joked. "That's not exactly one of your strongest suits, is it?"

Tommy grinned uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess not. So, Sophie, Jude is going to be our new neighbor and we're going to help her move into her new apartment in a couple of days."

"Okay," Sophia nodded calmly.

"So, are you already moved back in?" Jude asked him. "I mean, didn't you just get in last night?"

"As we speak, our stuff is on it's way in a moving van that is costing me an arm and a leg," he explained. "We'll go there tonight and stay in an apartment of boxes and sheets before setting up home in the morning."

She nodded. "Well, I can come by after I drop Sadie and Kwest off at the airport. I hear I'm more organized than you are."

He bumped her playfully. "Says who?"

Sadie and Kwest sat at their table, watching Jude and Tommy play on the dance floor with Sophia.

"What a cute little family," Sadie smirked. "Too bad that'll never happen once he tells her the truth: that he lied to her _again_ and that Sophie's his daughter."

"Maybe he'll wait and by the time he tells her, she'll be so in love with him again that she can forgive him?" Kwest shrugged, knowing he was stupid.

"Yeah, cause Jude's always been _so _forgiving with him in the past," Sadie laughed. "No one wants her to be happy more than me, but until Tommy can come clean about everything, that's not gonna happen," she added, nodding at the three of them again. "Jude's hardened a lot in the last year and when he tells her, she's gonna fly off the handle, Kwest. There'll be a lot of pieces to put back together all over again."


	3. Chapter 3

Later that night, after Sadie and Kwest had gone back to Sadie and Jude's to pack for their honeymoon, Jude agreed to let Spiederman take her home.

"So, you seemed to ease up on Tommy throughout the night," he noted, unlocking his blue Jeep Wrangler. "What's up with all that?"

"How can I really hold it against him when his sister died and he's suddenly got to be responsible for her daughter?" she asked, climbing in and buckling her seatbelt. "He's just doing what's right for Sophia; she's his biggest responsibility now. He can't just be all about himself anymore."

"Like he wasn't totally all about you when he was producing your first two albums?" Spiederman joked, pulling out in front of Wally who blasted his horn. "I mean, sure, he dated Sadie and you dated Jamie and Shay and that _really_ good-looking guy named Vincent Spiederman, but it's not like the connection between you and any of us or him and her was ever as hot as it still is between you and him."

"I know," she nodded quietly. "He was telling me about his sister and he was just so sad so I hugged him and an instant shock went through my entire body and weirdly, I think he felt it, too."

Spiederman shrugged. "I'm sure he did. Look, dude, you're my closest buddy, so I'm gonna be straight with you here: you and Tommy are just as in love as Sadie and Kwest, maybe even more. Your only problem is the fact that you're both so complex that you can't just sit down and work it out like normal human beings."

"I'm getting a lesson from _you_ on how to be a normal human being?" she teased. "You, who would put 20 tacks at a time into Wally and Kyle's beds on the bus to see who felt them first? I feel like I'm in the twilight zone." She looked out the window. "Oh, on Monday, round up the boys to come over and move me from the house to my apartment. Wally, Kyle, Jamie, and Patsy."

"You got it," he nodded, pulling onto the highway. "Am I taking you to your house tonight?"

"Umm, yeah," she nodded. "Sadie and Kwest are staying at a hotel for obvious reasons and all my stuff is still at home."

They rode mostly in silence, singing along with the old Cake CD playing on his stereo. Jude liked spending time with Spiederman when he wasn't around Wally and Kyle cause he didn't act like he was five the _whole_ time. He could talk to her about stuff without making farting noises and mocking everything she said.

"So, you alright here by yourself?" he asked, pulling up in front of the house she had grown up in. "Do you need the Dark Lord Spiederman to protect you?"

"I think I'll be okay," she rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Spied, and I'll see you here Monday morning around 9:30." She got out and walked inside.

When her mom had remarried Don, she'd sold the house and Stuart Harrison, Jude and Sadie's dad, had bought it. He still lived in his condo and with Sadie being married, Jude decided to just sell it and move on. It was sad. She'd played her first guitar in her bedroom, had her first 'kiss' with Jamie in that living room. The kitchen was the sight of her first breakdown from her sudden fame, and it was the basement where she'd realized that Tommy wasn't gonna call. The house was home, but now, it was time to get on with her life.

Suddenly, her thoughts were jarred by the ringing phone.

"Hello?" she answered, taking the cordless up to her bedroom.

"Don't forget to be here at 7:15," Sadie said on her end. "Our flight leaves at 9:30."

"I know," Jude assured her. "Do you mind if we hang up though? It's 2:30 and I've gotta get up in four hours."

"Okay," Sadie laughed. "Good night." She hung up.

Jude put the phone on her dresser and changed out of her dress into a pair of flannel shorts and an old t-shirt she didn't recognize. It was baggy on her, so it wasn't hers, and it smelled distinct. Tommy. Now she remembered. She'd been at his place one night during the recording of her second album, working on lyrics, and she'd gotten hot in her sweater so he'd given her the t-shirt and she had never returned it.

The following morning, she threw on a pair of ripped jeans, a fitted Rolling Stones long-sleeved shirt, and brushed her hair and teeth. On her way out of the house, she grabbed her bag and loaded it into her 1967 Mustang convertible Darius had fixed up as a gift for her second album getting finished. On her way to the hotel, she stopped at Starbucks for an iced latte and when she arrived at the Ritz, Sadie and Kwest were waiting outside with all their bags.

"I was gonna call when I got here," she told them, helping Sadie put her luggage in the trunk. "It's only ten after."

"Well, we're a little excited," Sadie replied. "I mean, a week in Tahiti? How awesome is that?"

Kwest smiled at his wife and helped her into the car before jumping into the back. "So, Jude, are you gonna wait until we get back to move?"

"No, I'm doing it tomorrow," she explained. "I've got SME, Jamie, Patsy, and Tommy to help. I might even coax Darius into coming over with a nice apartment warming gift."

"Yeah, so how do you feel about being down the hall from Tommy?" Sadie asked, finding an old Madonna song on the radio.

"Well, when he told me, I wasn't too weirded out by it," Jude admitted. "I mean, he's gonna come and produce me again, so it's not like I won't be around him all day, everyday anyways."

"True," Kwest nodded. "What do you think of Sophie?"

"She's a doll," Jude gushed. "Her curly hair is so cute and she looks like he spoils the life out of her. Which reminds me, I want a niece or nephew, you know?"

"How do you feel about a possible step-daughter?" Kwest muttered under his breath."Huh?" Jude asked, unable to understand him.

"Nothing!" he answered. "We'll do what we can."

When they got to the airport, Jude stopped at the drop-off zone, quickly parked her car, and got out to help them load their suitcases onto a cart.

"Alright, I'll see you in a week," Jude sighed, hugging her sister. "I love you and have fun." She hugged Kwest. "Don't let her drink the water down there; it's bad for the reproduction cycle," she whispered in his ear. "Seriously."

"I promise," he smiled, following Sadie into the airport.


	4. Chapter 4

1On the ride to her new complex to help Tommy set up his old apartment, Jude thought, again, about what she was putting herself into. He was still the same Tom Quincy that had left her in the street last year, speeding off with her in his rearview mirror. He was the same Tommy who hadn't called or contacted her and he was the same Tommy who had lied about so many things in the past. She wasn't sure if she was ready, but she'd never know if she didn't try. Plus, she really liked Sophie.

"Knock, knock," she said through the open door, sticking her head into the cluttered apartment. "Is anyone home?"

"Back here!" she heard Tommy yell from what had once been his guest room. "We're, uhh, painting!" She heard him laugh and then she heard Sophie squeal. She followed the sounds and couldn't help but laugh at the sight of them both covered in paint. Tommy turned and saw her. "What? I think we look kind of awesome, right, Soph?"

"Yeah!" Sophie agreed, picking up her small brush and dipping it in the lilac color they were covering the walls in. "This is fun!" She slyly painted a purple stripe down Tommy's old jeans. "I painted on you!"

"Oh, you think that's funny?" he asked her, bending down to run his roller through a tray of paint. "Well, that stripe just got you this." He carefully touched her nose with the tip. "You look like a clown."

"Do you wanna help?" Sophie asked Jude, holding out a bigger brush to her.

"Actually, why don't I go rearrange the furniture in the living room and put the phone in a place where it can always be found?" Jude suggested, smiling at Tommy. "That way, Tommy won't lose it all the time." She turned away and walked back to where she'd entered the apartment.

"If you get hungry, there's doughnuts on the counter!" Tommy yelled out.

"This is gonna take a while," Jude muttered, taking off her jacket and throwing it and her purse onto the island in the kitchen.

She started by moving all the boxes into a corner and then she pushed his over-stuffed couch up against the longest wall. After that, she pulled the expensive-looking coffee table in front of it. He had a box marked 'pictures,' so thinking he'd have some in frames, she opened it and tried not to break anything. Most of the photos were of Sophie and him, a few of a very pretty girl she could only assume was Nicole, and at the bottom, she stopped. They weren't just pictures anymore, but newspaper clippings and magazine articles about Jude went a third of the way up the box. He even had the tabloid cover from their first time alone together on the docks where they'd tweaked '24 Hours.'

"Hey," he said hoarsely behind her, knowing what she was looking at. "Most of them are about how you took the hiatus this last year and why you'd done it after the album had gone double platinum in three weeks. I don't want to blame myself, you know, assume it's all about me, but you're too talented to have let that happen."

"It _was_ you," she told him, shutting the box. "I mean, it just didn't feel the same without you there anymore. Like, on tour, I knew you were a long drive or phone call away, but this time, you weren't. I didn't know where you were."

"I know," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "And that's something I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life. But Jude, I'll do anything and everything to get you to forgive me."

She turned and faced him. He looked so sad. And it made Jude sad. Even though _he'd _left _her_, she felt badly for him. Here he was, this worldly producer, fabulously good-looking and smug, suddenly solely responsible for this helpless five-year-old. Jude knew he wasn't ready for it, but she also know that he was too strong and prideful to admit defeat, so he was going to raise Sophia as best as he could.

"Hey, Daddy, can I get a glass of water?" Sophie asked, following him out of her new room.

"The girl drinks water like a normal child?" Jude teased. "After living with you for a year and you don't have her hooked on Red Bull and coffee?"

Tommy shrugged and walked into the kitchen. He still had his water filter, so he filled a plastic cup and gave it Sophie. "Why don't you take this to your room and look through that book of bedspreads?" he suggested. "Pick out one you like."

Once Sophie was gone, Jude sat down on the couch. "Look, Tommy, I know that you never thought you'd have to deal with this. I mean, you lived like you were invincible and that's what I fell in love with. Your crazy motorcycle, the Viper, and your 'devil may care' attitude was something I could only ever associate with you. Now, you've been given this massive dose of reality and I'm just not used to you yet. After talking with every possible person, I'm not gonna push you away, but I can't let you get that close again. Not like we once were."

"Ever?" he asked quietly. "Even twenty years down the line, you're still gonna keep me at arm's length?"

"Well, Tommy, what did you expect?" she asked in exasperation. "I mean, my heart was obliterated and I don't think I can just forget that. Looking at you still hurts and last night when I hugged you? I could feel my blood just freeze."

"Oh, so it wasn't just me?" he asked, sitting down next to her. "Alright, I'm not going to force you into forgiving me, but Jude, I really hope you can." He leaned in, kissed her forehead, and walked back to Sophie's room.

Later that afternoon, after taking over the Quincy move-in, Jude drove back to her house and looked around at all the boxes. Her entire life was in them and she couldn't help but silently start to cry. She was 18 and moving into the real world. No more Sadie to rely on, no more parents to depend on, and no more Tommy to lean on. Or so she planned. But, it was easier said than done. The guy who'd once been her rock and her constant, and then just left her, was back and ready to be that guy all over again.

A knock on the door broke her thoughts. She opened it to see Jamie standing on the porch. "Hello, hello." He let himself in. "It's so crazy to see your house like this. Our childhood is packed away in this cardboard."

"Thus, the tears," she laughed half-heartedly, pointing to her smudged face. "Man, Jamie, I feel so empty right now."

He pulled her in for a hug. It wasn't an awkward hug or a romantic hug, just a hug that was big and sincere and gave her to notion he'd always be there. "Jude, you're an adult now; you didn't expect to live in your parents house forever, did you?"

"No, but I also didn't expect to be famous, fall head over heels in love with my producer, watch him drive away, and then see him show up for my sister's wedding either," she snapped bitterly before stopping herself. "I'm sorry, Jamie. I guess I still can't get over this Tommy thing and you were just standing here to take the heat."

"Sit down," he told her, leading her to the steps. "Look, Jude, I know you've heard this a million times before, but I'm going to go over your history with Tommy and you tell me what you think." He took a deep breath. "You won _Instant Star_ and heard you were getting a big-name producer. We hoped for Billie Joe from Green Day and you got Little Tommy Q from Boyz Attack. Over time, he forced his way into your life and you fell for him, naturally. Of course, so did Sadie. I, obviously, was in love with you. Shay showed up and you two _hooked _up. He came back from tour with Eden and you went crying to the balcony on your 16th birthday. Tommy kissed you and in less words, admitted for the first time that he loved you without really saying it, but said it couldn't work for various reasons. Made you swear it had never happened. Your parents split. You found out about Tommy and Sadie. You went on the club tour with SME the same day you and I finally got together. You came back and Darius had taken over. Things changed. I changed, Tommy changed, and you changed. You were pushed to the limit but held your ground. Dyed your hair without Portia's permission. We broke up cause you took me for granted. Met Patsy. Sadie and Tommy were strained. Lots of tension between you and him. I hooked up with Patsy, you hooked up with Spiederman, and Sadie dumped Tommy. You fired Tommy. Spent 17th birthday locked at rehearsal space with him and fell way more in love than ever. Said bad things about school. More tension with Tommy. Broke up with Spiederman. Did 'White Lines.' Kissed Tommy, _again_. Had a date, he left, and now he's back." He stopped to breathe. "Now, tell me: can you really get over him just like that? In between parts of that whole story, you and Tommy were the central characters, intertwined in complex ways. Sure, I loved you and so did Spiederman; Shay was just kind of a moron. But deep down, you never loved any of us back cause your heart had been sold to Tommy that night at the pier."

She smiled sadly and leaned her head on his shoulder. "What am I going to do when you're not my neighbor anymore?"

"Slumber parties?" he joked.

Her face lit up. "Actually, tomorrow, after I'm all moved in, you and Patsy, plus the boys, should all stay over and we'll stay up all night and watch _The Godfather_ trilogy, even if the third one sucked. It sounds fun, right?"

"Don't count on Patsy just yet, but I'm in," he agreed. "And the guys love eating other people's food, so they'll stay."

"God, it'll be just like the tour all over again," she sighed happily. "With the addition of you, which just makes it all better."

"If I recall, it was that same tour when you realized you still loved Tommy, even if he had started dating Sadie behind your back," Jamie pointed out.

"How is it everything in my life falls back to Tommy?" she whined. "Subconsciously, I can find a way to make all my songs about him, even if they originally weren't."

"Not 'Waste My Time;' that was Shay," he said.

"No," she corrected. "When I wrote it, I didn't know Shay, I knew Tommy. I mean, it talks about it: _when I'm with you, I don't really care, what they all want me to be. I just want you beside me._" She sighed. "How is that not about him?"

Jamie thought about it. "You're right. All your best songs are Tommy-oriented. I mean, 'Time To Be Your 21' was a great song about him before the tour. Umm, 'Skin' was really good when he'd kissed you again and said it would never happen. 'White Lines' came from missing him on the tour, and best of all, 'There's Us' from when he left."

"God, I hate this," she complained. "Jamie, why am I so in love with the one guy who breaks my heart with the drop of the hat?"

"Cause you like a challenge and that's what he is," he stated simply. "He challenges you and pushes you and intimidates you. And in return, you drive him crazy, irritate him desperately, and keep him wanting more. That's the charm of your relationship."

"Except we don't have a relationship," she said. "We just have a complication."

"For now," he added. "I've known you for too long to know that you can't hate him forever. There's too much baggage and way too history for that to happen."

"Blah blah blah," she groaned, standing up. "Alright, let's do something fun, okay?"

He looked at his watch. "I've actually gotta get over to G-Major for business stuff with Liam. Sorry." He stood up, kissed her cheek, and left.

She picked up the phone and dialed a familiar phone number. "Hey, come over. I'm bored and want to do something." She hung up before they could respond.

Half an hour later, there was a knock at her door.


	5. Chapter 5

"Fun is here, at your request," Spiederman said when she answered it. "What do you have in mind? Wallace and Kyle are having a Pac-Man tournament at the arcade. We all know how good you are at that."

"Uhh, okay," she agreed, grabbing her purse. "I don't know why I'm so hyper; I only got four hours of sleep."

He smiled and helped her into his Jeep. "I haven't seen you this upbeat in over a year, dude. What's going on?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just feel like a little kid all over again."

"Why?" he asked. "Cause you know that you're gonna have to grow up now? I mean, in order for you to work things out with Tommy, you've got to get your life in order."

"This is the second time in 24 hours that you've been smart," she smirked. "What's up with that?"

"I started reading," he admitted sheepishly. "And not just comics and _Rolling Stone_ anymore, but, like, real books. Last week, I read _Of Mice and Men_."

Jude stared at him in amazement. She knew Spiederman was smart, but he'd just never applied himself. Hearing that he was reading a book they were supposed to have read during their junior year of high school was surprising. "Impressive. But what makes you a romance expert? I mean, our relationship wasn't exactly Romeo and Juliet, remember? More Bart and Lisa Simpson." She laughed, remembering him telling her that.

"I've flipped through my mom's _Cosmo_ before," he shrugged. "Lame, I know, but interesting. Anyways, this lady wrote a column about falling back in love with a guy from her past and she said that if you hadn't explored it enough then, but you were feeling funny all over again, you should see what happens."

"This is by far, even in what happened last night and this morning at Tommy's, the weirdest conversation I've had in forever," she told him. "Next thing I know, Wally will be listening to Rascal Flatts and Kyle will finally admit to his obsession with _Grease 2._"

"Well, Kyle _is _obsessed with _Grease 2_, but if Wally ever listens to _any_ country music, we'll be looking for a new bass player," Spiederman assured her. "I don't care if we're your band or not; country music is way unacceptable for our reputation."

"Agreed," she nodded firmly. "Dancing to that Garth Brooks song was bad enough last night."

"Well, in that case, too be honest, that was intriguing," he said quietly, trying to hold in his laughter. "I mean, you and Little Tommy Q, forced to dance together after a year apart? That was pure genius of Sadie and Kwest."

"Yeah, hilarious," she said dryly. "I'm still laughing on the inside."

He pushed her. "Hey, you have to admit that it was crazy, right? I mean, it's your first time with him in hundreds of days and you have to dance to a song that's about not regretting what had once happened? He chose wisely."

"I guess," she sighed. "Spied, what if I get too close to him again and have my heart trampled all over for a second time? How can I cope with that? Last time, I got drunk and was photographed very drunk. What would happen a second time?"

"If it happens a second time, which I don't think even he's stupid enough to let happen, I'd gather up everyone I know, including those bikers at my uncle's bar, and tear every limb from his body," he replied. "Jude, like I've said a hundred times in the last couple of years, you're my best friend and I'd hate to see you hurting again. It was hard enough to watch you disintegrate the first time."

"How do you think it felt to actually be the one doing the disintegrating?" she scoffed. "Okay, right here and now, I'm promising to you that if I get in too deep with Tommy and it looks like it's gonna fall apart, you have the right to pull me out, alright? But, if it looks like I'm happy and he and I are okay, tell me not to blow it."

Spiederman smiled. "You got it."

When they got to the arcade, Wally was feuding with a local gamer about which controls they got.

"Boys, boys, boys," Jude broke it up. "I can settle this very easily right here, right now. Why don't you both just give up and watch a master work?"

"Is that what you think?" Wally asked, stepping back, pulling the local with him. "Fine, whatever. Let's see what you've got."

Twenty minutes later, after she was at the 18th level, Wally conceded. "Alright, fine, you win. I only got to 11 and he stopped at eight."

"Thank you," she grinned smugly. "So, after that, I'm hungry. Do you guys want to eat?" she asked Spiederman, Wally, and Kyle. "It's on Darius," she added, pulling out her G-Major credit card. It was technically for emergencies, but Darius was growing fonder of Jude everyday and was getting easier on the charges. If he asked, she'd tell him it was a band lunch to discuss their upcoming showcase at the Vinyl Palace. "Come on, guys. I mean, you're gonna need a big lunch today if you're gonna help me move tomorrow."

"She's right," Kyle nodded, flexing his semi-decent muscles. "I don't get any exercise other than banging on the drums, so I've gotta prepare for the heavy lifting that looms over tomorrow."

"Oh, I didn't say you were lifting the heavy stuff," she corrected. "I just said you were helping. Tommy can lift the big stuff; it'll be fun to watch him strain himself."

"For us, yes," Spiederman agreed. "You'll be too busy watching him sweat to notice though."

She punched him in the arm. "Spied, we are adults now. Don't you think you could grow up for like, half a second?" She knew he was only constantly like this with the boys, but it got old every once in a while, even if she did love her band unconditionally.

"Dude, never," he answered. "Why grow up when I'm perfectly happy the way I am?"

"You'll never get a woman," she told him, leading them to Daley's, a local hangout.

"Hey, I somehow hooked you once upon a time," he reminded her. "Best three months of your life and you know it."

She rolled her eyes and followed a hostess to a table. "I must've slept through it."

"Definitely more Bart and Lisa than Romeo and Juliet," Wally spoke up, reviewing the menu, even though they all always got the same things. "So, how are we doing the Vinyl Palace on Friday?"

"They're giving us time for four songs," Jude reported. "I say two from the first album and two from the second. Any requests?"

"Well, we obviously have to do '24 Hours' and 'My Sweet Time,' cause they were the first singles from the two," Spiederman rationalized. "Do you wanna do 'Natural Disaster' and like, 'Let Me Fall?' That's a good one right now cause you're sort of at a crossroads where everything is up to you."

"Good point," Kyle put in. "And I like 'Natural Disaster,' too."

"Then it's settled," she confirmed. "I'll let Darius know first thing tomorrow morning. And _what _is with your all's sudden deepness?"

Right after they ordered, her cell phone rang, flashing Portia's number. "Hey, Portia, what's up?"

"Jude, we've got a problem," Portia said frantically. "You know that interview you were supposed to do with _Rolling Stone_ next Sunday? Well, the new receptionist wrote the wrong date and you have to be at G-Major in ten minutes. Where are you?"

"Daley's," Jude told her. "I'm on my way." She shut her phone and hurried back to the table. "I've gotta get to the label. That _Rolling Stone_ interview is _this _Sunday, not next. Come on." She grabbed Spiederman and dragged him to his Jeep. "Step on it cause I only have ten minutes."

When they got to G-Major, it was pretty dead. Other than Darius, Liam, and Portia, the studios were empty and the interns were still free for the weekend.

"I'm totally sorry to ruin your afternoon," Portia apologized, pulling Jude into her small office. "Now, find something cute to wear and meet us in the lobby in five." She shut the door behind her.

After a moment's contemplation, Jude selected a pair of dark washed jeans, pointy black stiletto boots, and a black military-inspired jacket. She tousled her blonde locks and walked into the lobby where a female reporter had set-up with a photographer. Tommy had appeared and was talking with Darius and Liam while Spiederman played on the front desk computer and Portia talked with the photographer about Jude's 'best side.'

"Jude Harrison, it's a pleasure to meet you" the reporter gushed. "I know that I interview artists like Keith Richards and Bob Dylan, but your music is so my guilty pleasure." She held out a hand. "Oh, I'm Gwen Larson."

"Hi," Jude smiled. "It's nice to meet you and thanks."

"Alright, we're gonna get started here!" Gwen called out, settling onto a couch with Jude. "So, this is gonna be a short and sweet piece, okay?" she said, turning on her tape recorder. "How do you feel about the success of your first two albums?"

"Well, I'm pretty stoked," Jude admitted. "I mean, before _Instant Star_, I was a simple 15-year-old girl playing my guitar in my bedroom. To have this success is pretty wild, I guess."

Gwen smiled politely. "And are you working on your next album?"

"Well, I took some time off after the second to sort of gain inspiration and just re-amp myself," Jude told her. She smirked at Darius. "Then, my producer got engaged to my sister and wedding planning took a front seat to my music, which I was okay with. Now, I'm excited to get back into the studio and start recording again."

"Now, after the release of the second album, you backed out of the spotlight," Gwen noted. "For someone so young and so promising, that's unusual. What happened?"

Jude cleared her throat and glanced nervously at Tommy. "Umm, I hit a snag the night of the release party and sort of realized for the first time that the music industry can swallow you whole and I fell into the trap."

"You mean with the pictures?" Gwen assumed. "That must've been a really rough time. How did you work through it?"

"Help," Jude admitted. "My sister stepped in majorly, as did my best friend, and Spiederman and the boys in the band." She nodded in his direction. "If you could put his name into this, it would get me out of buying him a Christmas present this year."

"Done," Gwen laughed. "So, I was told that you switched producers again and are going back to working with your original hit-maker, Tom Quincy. Why?"

"Cause he's back," Jude replied. "He took a leave of absence, but now that he's returned, my third album can finally take ground. I love Kwest to death, especially now that he's family, but I work better with Tommy."

"Now, there's been speculation that there was once something romantic going on between you and Tommy," Gwen read off a card in front of her. "We saw the tabloids, but is there any truth to that?"

Jude could feel everyone staring at her, waiting for her reply. "Well, I met him when I was 15 and we just clicked. It was never anything _that_ personal, but I guess we got each other on a different level." She was satisfied with that.

"Any new musicians on the horizon for you?" Gwen asked.

"No," Jude replied laughing. "After Shay and that guy," she added, pointing to Spiederman again, "I'm done dating rock stars. Right now, I'm just gonna focus on my music and see what happens."

"Well, Jude Harrison, thank you so much and good luck. I see a very bright future for you in the years to come," Gwen said, shutting off the tape recorder. "That was great. Quick and painless, right?"

"Yeah," Jude nodded, noticing that Tommy was gone. "It was really nice to meet you." She shook Gwen's hand and walked over to the front desk. "Come on, Spied. I need to get home and finish packing up."

"I can't believe you're saying _au revoir _to this," he sighed, pulling up in front of her house a little while later. "I mean, can you think of any guy ever looking as good as I did for that 70's party you had when you pushed Tommy into the hot tub?"

"Yeah, that dog in the Taco Bell commercials," she joked, getting out. "Remember, I want you here in the morning at 9:30." Just as she went to walk away, she turned back. "And that's AM, Spied, not PM."

"Very funny," he mocked, driving away.


	6. Chapter 6

"This is it," Jude muttered the next morning, waking up in the house for the last time. "I'm moving out and moving on."

After a long shower and breakfast of Fruity Pebbles, she marked all the boxes that were going to her place and waited for everyone to show up.

"We come baring coffee," Jamie announced, letting himself and a very tired-looking Patsy into the house at 9:15. "Iced latte or cappuccino?"

"Eh, latte," she answered, taking one of the chilled drinks. "Patsy, is this the earliest you've ever woken up?"

"I haven't been up before 1:30 in close to four years," Patsy yawned. "I'm only doing this cause Jamie promised me a surprise later." She walked to the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'm not doing anything," Jamie admitted. "I just figured you could use the help."

She grinned as the doorbell rang. "Thanks, Jame." She opened the door to reveal Tommy, holding a sleeping Sophia. "You could've waited until she woke up, you know?"

"No, she's up," Tommy said, walking inside. "She just took a little nap on the way here." He set Sophia down. "Come on, Soph, wake up."

"No," Sophia whined. "I'm sleepy."

Jude led her to the couch. "Here, sit here."

"So, I can't believe you're saying good-bye to this place," Tommy sighed, looking around.

"If I had a nickel for every time someone's said that to me in the last few days," Jude laughed. "I know, but why live in a big house by myself? I mean, Sadie's going to Kwest's condo, even though I offered this, and my dad is still at his bachelor pad. I can get a nice apartment for just me for less."

"You know you're moving there cause I'm right down the hall," Tommy smirked. "Don't give me that crap about size and locale; you're moving in for the locals."

Jude shrugged. "You got me; I _do_ love that old man above me with the squawking parrot and loud samba music."

"Yeah, Griffin is pretty alluring," Tommy joked. "But really, think about it, girl. You're sitting up in the middle of the night, lyrics in your head. Then, you get to the bridge and nothing comes to mind. I'm a few doors down. Bam! Another hit."

"Whatever," Jude muttered, blushing at the thought of sitting up in his apartment in the middle of the night. "So, Spied and Kyle are driving trucks they borrowed and as soon as they get here, which _should,_ but _won't,_ be soon, we can start loading things into them."

Half an hour later, Spiederman, Kyle, and Wally tumbled into the house in a heap of baggy jeans and ski hats.

Jude got up off the couch and clapped. "Alright, you're only 25 minutes late, boys. New record, yeah?"

"Can we just do this?" Wally yawned. "I need a few more hours of sleep today before staying at your place tonight."

With that, Jude started delegating everyone to load boxes and furniture into the two trucks, all while trying to entertain Sophia, who was slowly waking up.

"Okay, I'm gonna take her in my car over to the apartment and you can call when you get there," she announced, leading Sophia to her Mustang. "Alright, kid, let's go." She loaded the girl into the backseat and buckled her seatbelt.

"How long have you known my daddy?" Sophia asked once inside Jude's new complex. "A long time?"

It still felt weird for Jude to hear her call him 'Daddy.' "Well, I met him when I was 15 and won _Instant Star_."

"I just really met him last year," Sophia admitted. "But I like him a lot."

"Yeah, I did at one time, too," Jude sighed. "So, do you miss your mommy?"

"Uh-huh," Sophia nodded sadly. "But Daddy said she's in a better place now, so it's okay."

Jude smiled. "You're very smart for a five-year-old, Sophie. How did that happen?"

"School," she answered. "My mommy wanted me to be smart so I started early. I can read chapter books."

"I bet," Jude laughed, lifting Sophie to the counter.

"Daddy missed you," Sophie told her. "Whenever I couldn't sleep, he'd tell me stories about you."

"He did?" Jude choked up quietly. "What did he tell you?"

"That you were his real-life princess and that you deserved a happy ending." Sophie smiled proudly, glad to have told her that.

Jude stared at the little girl, who was playing with her curls. "He said all that?"

Before Sophia could answer, Jude's cell phone rang.

"Yo, dude, could you buzz us up?" Spiederman asked quickly. "I'm holding a really heavy box at the moment and whatever it is, it's about to drop."

"Sorry," Jude apologized. She'd been so intent on listening to Sophia that she hadn't heard the buzzing. She pressed the entrance button on the box by the door and shut her phone.

"Thanks, dude; this box is brutal," Spiederman breathed, walking in with Jamie and Kyle. He dropped his box and opened it, only to reveal it was full of pillows and sheets. "Hey, it's heavier than it looks."

"Uh-huh," Jude smirked, pointing to her bedroom. "Think you can make it all the way down the hall?"

"Very funny," he said pointedly, kicking the box in front of him as he went. "It travels much easier on ground."

"So, what do you guys have for me?" she asked, turning back to Kyle and Jamie.

Jamie opened his box. "Uhh, I've got clothes."

"Same," Kyle nodded. "Isn't that what suitcases are for?"

"You mean the suitcases I still haven't replaced from you three idiots filling them with cottage cheese on tour almost two years ago?" she scoffed. "Boxes will just have to do for now."

Suddenly, the door opened again and Tommy and Patsy walked inside, struggling with her couch. Jude had decided on modern furniture, with bright colors and straight edges. Her walls were all white and she had bought four original Andy Warhol paintings to hang. The couch was bright red and was placed along the longest wall, opposite where her plasma TV was going to hang.

"This is a nice place," Patsy mused, settling onto the couch. "A little too happy for me, but nice for you."

"Uhh, thanks," Jude shrugged, glancing at Jamie, who just shrugged in return. "So, in two big trucks you brought two boxes of clothes, a box of sheets and pillows, and my couch? You're a pathetic bunch."

"Well, you left me to work with the Three Stooges and Sid and Nancy," Tommy pointed out. "Not exactly the most workable environment, is it?"

"I guess not," she whispered, Sophia's words filling her head once more. "Umm, why don't you guys head on back? Sophie can stay with me."

"Cool," Tommy nodded. "Hey, guys, let's go!"

Spiederman, Wally, and Kyle sulked out after him, followed by a half-sleeping Patsy, and Jamie, who was trying to keep her upright.

"Jude, did you love my daddy?" Sophia asked. She'd been quiet the entire time everyone else had been there.

"That's a question for the ages," Jude admitted, sitting next to Sophia at the bar.

"I remember when we heard your song on the radio," Sophia spoke up. "It was called 'There's Us,' and Daddy said he knew it."

Jude nodded. It was the most meaningful song she'd ever written, which made it obviously about Tommy, as all her greats were. It had been done before he'd left, but made more sense after and she'd decided to make it a single. Playing it was still hard and she tried avoiding it if she could. In fact, she didn't. "Well, Tommy produced it."

"He said leaving you was sad," Sophia added. "I think he loved you."

"I wish I knew," Jude sighed. "I really wish I did."

Later that day, while Sophia slept on her couch, Jude and Tommy made lunch for everyone while they went back for one more load before eating.

"She's a good kid," Jude told him, tossing a salad. "Way smarter than you are."

"Well, it's nice to know my intelligence is beaten by a five-year-old," he smirked, flipping the grilled cheese. "What did she do this time? Quote Shakespeare?"

"I just mean that she's aware," Jude corrected herself. "Like, she can grasp what's going on around her and process it." She paused. "She told me stuff about you in Montana."

He stopped flipping and looked at her. "Like what?"

"Umm, she said you told her stories about me," she told him in a half-whisper. "About me being a princess who deserved a happy ending? Then she said that you told her you knew 'There's Us.'"

"How could I not?" he replied. "I produced it, Jude, and it was about me."

"Then she asked if I ever loved you," she continued, cutting him off. "She said she thought you loved me."

"She said all that?" he asked her in amazement, looking at the sleeping child. "She's pretty into things, I guess."

"Yeah," Jude muttered. "So, when are you going to tell her you're not her dad? Her high school graduation? Her wedding, just after you walk her down the aisle?"

"When she's old enough," he answered. "If I tell her now, she'll ask questions I'm not ready to answer."

"Don't you think she should understand that she's never going to know her dad?" Jude questioned. "I mean, if I were her, and found out at like, nine, that who I thought was my dad wasn't my dad, I'd be pretty upset."

He sighed and sat down on the counter. "It's complicated and while she's my responsibility, I'll raise her the way I want to."

"Fine," she agreed. "Just know that her reaction may not be quite a picnic." With that, she went back to finishing the salad.

By the time her apartment was done, everyone was completely wiped out. Spiederman, Wally, and Kyle were tiredly playing PlayStation, Patsy and Jamie were playing cards, and Tommy was nodding off on the couch with Sophie in his lap.

Jude took the moment to call Sadie and ask how the trip was going.

"Hey!" Sadie squealed when she answered. "Jude, the bungalow you got us is awesome! I totally love you."

"Good," Jude smiled, walking into her bedroom and shutting the door. "So, how's Tahiti?"

Sadie laughed. "Kwest had some local delicacy for breakfast and is puking his guts out as we speak; but the beach is fabulous and the nightlife is to die for." She sighed. "So, how's home? Did you get moved in?"

"Yeah," Jude answered. "The band is playing video games, Patsy and Jamie are playing cards, and Tommy and Sophia are sleeping on the couch. We'll all pretty tired around here."

"So, how are things with Tommy?" Sadie asked.

Jude sat down on her bed. "I don't know. Like, I absolutely refuse to fall for him the way I once did, but being around him for five minutes makes it like he never left." She sighed and leaned back against her pillows. "He makes it really hard to hate him."

"Yeah, he's got that effect," Sadie agreed. "Sure, I could put up a front for a while, but after Kwest came along, I just let it go. You should, too."

"Only, when he left, _I_ was the one who was ripped to shreds," Jude reminded her. "You were already having dinners with Liam and whatnot."

"Ugh, I had _two _dinners with him, he was an arrogant jerk, and I realized Kwest just made me happy." She pulled the phone away and yelled to him. "Jude's on the phone, babe; anything you want to say?" There was a silence as he weakly answered. "He says he can't wait to feel better."

"I can only imagine," Jude smirked. "Alright, well, I was just checking in on you guys, so I'm gonna go and kick everyone out. I love you, and Kwest, too. Bye." She hung up and looked around. She'd done the bedroom alone and was surprised at all the pictures she'd wanted to put out. Of course, there were those of her and her family, and her and SME. She had one of her and Jamie, along with the one of her and Kat, even though they rarely spoke anymore. But it wasn't any of those that shocked her. She'd picked out all of the display pictures the day of the wedding as she was packing and the one she couldn't hide was of her and Tommy. Portia had taken it the day before her second album release party and they were sitting on a couch in the lobby of G-Major. She was leaning on his shoulder while he played on her acoustic. It was a sweet picture and looking at, you'd never guess he was gonna up and leave that night.

"Hey," Spiederman said, letting himself into the room. "You alright?"

"Sure," she nodded. "I just called Sadie. Apparently, Kwest ate something bad and has food poisoning, so they're sitting around their bungalow and he's throwing up like crazy."

"Bummer," he smiled. "No, actually it's pretty funny."

She rolled her eyes and looked out the window to G-Major. "Can you believe that when I walk in there tomorrow, I'm locked in a recording booth with just him for three hours? Sure, there are breaks, but for five minutes. I don't think I'm gonna be able to handle this."

"I think you can," he assured her. "Plus, if it gets bad, we'll be there, working on new stuff you can use. And dude, before I leave to go sleep before coming back tonight, can I leave you with one final thing?"

"Go ahead," she nodded, knowing she'd probably regret it.

"As long as he's still Tom Quincy and you're still Jude Harrison, an invisible rope you can't cut will pull you towards him." He smiled and left.

A few minutes later, Jude walked into the living room, which had been completely abandoned except for Jamie.

"Where's Patsy?" she asked, putting away the PlayStation. "Doesn't she think you owe her something awesome for helping?"

He shrugged. "I sent her off with the band and decided to help you finish up with details."

"So, is everyone coming back tonight?" she asked him, falling onto the couch. "Other than Patsy?"

"Yeah," he answered. "She'll be sleeping until tomorrow night most likely." He sat down next to her. "You seem pretty comfortable around Tommy and Sophia."

"I'm not sure that I am," she admitted quietly. "It's like, I know I should still despise him for leaving and not calling, but he makes it so hard! I'm beginning to feel sucked in all over again."

Jamie put a hand on her knee. "I know you've heard this a lot in the last few days, so this is the last time I'll say anything," he assured her. "Jude, you're right, he left in a poor fashion, but that doesn't mean he didn't love you or feel badly for what he did. I just think he's always been a very independent person, so involving you in something so personal was a big step he probably just wasn't ready for, you know?"

"I do," she confirmed. "Just don't let me get all stupid about him again, okay? I know I've done it too many times in the past, hurting people along the way, and I'm not ready to be that girl again yet. I need time."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time when you're spending every waking moment with him in the studio," Jamie teased. "Alright, I'm gonna go home and shower, but I'll be back later." He left the apartment, leaving Jude to herself.

While she tried to re-read _The Devil Wears Prada_, waiting for the boys to come back, her cell phone rang.

"City Morgue," she answered jokingly, knowing it was either Spiederman or Jamie.

"Funny," Tommy's voice came through. "So, tomorrow, are you gonna have anything decent for us to work on?"

That question quieted her. She'd been sporadically working with Kwest, on stuff she knew was bad. Even though she was comfortable around her brother-in-law, it just wasn't like working with Tommy. Now that he was back, she was ready to pull out stuff she'd written right after he'd left and then right after she'd realized he wasn't coming back. Or so she'd thought at the time.

"Uhh, we'll see," she finally got out. "I think if I were to bring the goods, it would hit a little close to home for you, Tommy."

"Ahh, the angst-filled, 'he left and I hate him' songs, huh?" he replied. "I can't say I didn't expect them really. I know I hurt you when I left."

"Yes, you did," she admitted. "More than I could say, so I wrote."

"Are they good enough to impress Darius?" he asked her intently. "If they are, I'll just have to deal; I was the one who left, remember?"

She sighed. "Yeah. Well, I'll bring some stuff in and we'll have to see."

"Alright," he agreed. "Well, I know you're having a sleepover tonight, so I'll let you go. 9:30, remember," he added, just as he hung up.

"Let's get this party started!" Spiederman cried, busting through the apartment door at 8:30. "Wally's bringing the booze, Kyle's got the drugs, and Jamie's getting the girls." Jude eyed him. "Or, Wally's bringing the movies, Kyle's got the chips, and Jamie's getting the cards."

"Better," she nodded. "So, I'm taking the good songs into the studio tomorrow."

"Wow," he breathed. "How's that gonna go over?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, getting a Gatorade from her fridge. "Tommy called and asked if I had anything worth his time, and those songs are good, so I said I'd bring them."

"Does he know they'll probably make even him cry?" he asked, setting up the PlayStation. "I mean, I almost did when I read them, but I was just too manly."

Jude smirked. "Oh, right. The Dark Lord Spiederman and all. I told him they'd cut him deep and he said he understands; he gets that he left and now he may have to suffer the repercussions of that."

"Hey, at least he's not denying what he did," Spiederman offered, turning the console on. "You wanna play Frogger before everyone else gets here?" It was the only PlayStation game she was any good at.

"Eh, okay," she nodded, settling on the floor next to him. "Any new women on the horizon for you, Spied?"

He smirked. "Like I have time. When I'm not with you and the guys, I'm writing stuff for our debut album or bugging Liam."

"Well, if you don't make time for girls soon, you'll end up like Liam," she teased. "Rigid, old, and prissy."

"Gross," he complained. "Why did Sadie have to pick Kwest? Liam was totally heartbroken when she dumped him."

"He was more heartbroken when his Prada loafers got scuffed up at the toe," she corrected him. "Liam only wanted Sadie as his arm candy. Kwest fell in love with her."

"Yeah and then Sadie had to go and be all girl-like and date the nice guy," he sighed sadly. "Why can't a girl for once just pick the arrogant, self-absorbed guy with money?" He eyed her. "Oh wait, you did."

She punched him. "It's hard to believe you don't have a girlfriend, Spied; you have such a way with words."

"After I finally went out with Wally's cousin, Monica, I realized girls are just problematic. All you ever want is attention and as a band man, I can't give it."

"Trust me, I'm pretty much through with relationships, too," she said without confidence. "After Shay, Jamie, you, and whatever that was with Tommy, I'm emotionally worn out."

"Liar!" he coughed. "Well, not about me, Shay, and James, but you're not done with Tommy and you know it."

"I wish I could quit him," she joked, referring to _Brokeback Mountain_. "Remember seeing that movie?"

"I recall you _forcing_ us to see it," he nodded. "Seriously, watching cowboys make-out wasn't exactly all that attractive to me."

"Hey, it was a lovely romance," she stated. "Sure, it was unconventional, but even you can't say you didn't see that they were totally in love."

He shook his head in disgust. "I'll take a Vince Vaughn or Will Ferrell movie over that any day."

"Me, too," she agreed, "but it deserved the hype it got."

"No," he said firmly. "There is no such thing as a gay cowboy, dude; except Mason."

"Well, there are obviously such things as geeky rock stars," she smirked. "You seem to fit that bill."

"Are you going on that cruise Darius is doing Saturday?" he asked, changing the subject. "The G-Major party or whatever?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Sadie and Kwest get back just in time for it and we're all going together."

"So you'll get to see Little Tommy Q in a bathing suit, huh?" he teased. "Is he bringing the kid?"

Jude shrugged as someone knocked on her door. "I don't know, Spied. He and I haven't talked about it." She opened it and let Kyle and Wally in, both carrying their stuff and big bags. "Hello, children."

"Seriously, man, Frogger?" Wally asked, looking at the TV screen. "You're such a girl."

"Or he's playing with one," Jude put in. "So, tomorrow, you all may need to be at G-Major to do some recording for the third album finally. You guys haven't been in there for me in months."

"She's ready to record songs that'll make that whiny pretty boy sob," Spiederman added. "I've seen the stuff and they're good."

"Nice," Kyle smiled. "The last decent song we did was 'White Lines' and that was over a year ago."

"Yeah," she breathed nervously. "It's just that, since he's been back, I've understood why he left and I'm not so mad anymore; I'm not gonna jump into anything with him either."

"Smart," Wally agreed. "He's not the most dependable person on the planet."

"Coming from the guy who forgot his own birthday," Kyle smirked. "So, Jude, you got any good games to play?"

She stood up and walked to a hall closet. "Well, I have LIFE, Monopoly, Pop Culture Trivial Pursuit, and _Friends_ SceneIt."

"God, those are boring!" Spiederman whined. "What about Battle of the Sexes, RISK, and Battle Ship, dude? Now _those_ are games."

"Sorry, Vincent, but I have what I like," she told him smoothly. "It's either one of these or PlayStation."

The three boys looked at each other and nodded in unison. "PlayStation."

"Great," she muttered, watching them go through the games she had. Most of them were probably theirs that she just had anyways, so she walked out onto the balcony of her bedroom.

"Long night, Harrison?" a cool voice asked few balconies down. She didn't have to look to know it was Tommy; the voice alone still gave her chills. "The boys run you out of your own apartment already?"

"Watching them fondle controllers and play games where shooting each other's men is the whole concept doesn't appeal to me right now," she answered, finally looking up at him. "Where's Sophie?"

"Sleeping," he replied, nodding at the doors. "I gave her the room with the balcony."

"Aww, how nice of you," she smiled jokingly. She looked at the two balconies between them and started to climb over.

"What are you doing?" he asked frantically. "You're gonna kill yourself, Jude."

"I'm a big girl, Quincy," she reminded him, pulling herself to the balcony he was on. "Now, be a nice guy and help me over." He took her hand and hoisted her over the railing. "See, not a scratch."

He smirked. "Good for you. So, you wanna tell me about these songs you're bringing tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure you wanna hear it," she admitted. "Maybe I should just let you hear them tomorrow and you can take it like a man at G-Major."

"No, tell me," he pleaded. "At least let me be prepared."

Jude took a deep breath and sat on the cold ground. "Well, there are two: one from right after you left and one from about two months ago when I finally realized you weren't coming back." She chuckled. "Or not, but whatever."

"And?" he implored, settling down next to her, checking to make sure the sliding door was slightly cracked.

"Umm, the first one is kind of me anticipating your return," she explained quietly. "It's called 'A Hundred Ways' and describes all these ways I imagined seeing you again. You know, sad and romantic, but with story."

He nodded in silence. "What about the other?"

"It's not so sad and romantic, but there's still story," she laughed half-heartedly. "It's pretty full of hate and resentment towards you. I mean, I was so furious that you never called or anything and I put it all into song."

"Sounds brutal," he muttered. "Can't wait to hear it."

"What?" she asked, looking at him in amazement. "I tell you that these songs are horrible to you and you're excited?"

"Your best stuff has always come from your raw emotion," he pointed out. "You've done songs that have hit me before, and they've turned out great, Jude; I've grown to deal with it. _I'm a big boy, Harrison_," he added mockingly. "And just so you know, I thought about my return a lot, too."

"Oh, yeah?" she mused. "What about it?"

"Mostly what would happen when I saw you again," he answered. "How I'd react, how you'd react, and what would happen from there."

She smiled. "And in your mind, how did I react?"

"More along the lines of the first song, not the second," he told her. "But that's just what I wanted to happen."

"Why?" she wanted to know.

He stared at her pointedly, giving her the same look he'd given her on her 17th birthday when she'd asked why things hadn't worked with him and Sadie. "Really, Jude? You know why." He took a deep breath. "After I left, I realized that I lo-"

"Dude?" Spiederman's voice called out. "Oh, my God, guys, I think she jumped!" he yelled back into her apartment.

Jude rolled her eyes and stood up. "Or not."

"Oh," Spiederman breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing?" Tommy appeared next to her. Spiederman smiled knowingly. "Oh, I see."

"Shut up," Jude told him. "Give me a minute and I'll be right over."

He made a face and walked back inside.

"So, you were saying?" she said quietly, looking back to Tommy.

Before he could answer, Sophie appeared at the door. "Daddy, my tummy hurts."

"Okay," he nodded. "I gotta get back to her," he muttered to Jude. "I'll see you in the morning."

Jude sighed dejectedly and climbed back to her balcony, struggling to make it over the railing by herself.

"Late night make-out session?" Spiederman teased when she found the boys waiting for her in her living room, noticing that Jamie had shown up. The TV was off and they were just sitting, ready to attack her with questions.

"Vincent, mind your own business," she warned, going to her freezer for a popsicle.

"So, no kissy-kissy?" Wally joked. "If not, what _was_ that all about?"

"Nothing," she assured them, settling on the couch between Spiederman and Kyle. "I told him some background on the songs and stuff."

"What did he say?" Jamie asked.

"Well, he said that he expected that and then he told me he thought about how his return would go down a lot, too," she explained. "And then, when the _Dork_ Lord Spiederman thought I'd jumped, he was about to tell me a little something more."

Jamie stared at her. "What does that mean?"

Jude thought back. "Well, he was talking about how he'd expected his return to be more along the lines of 'A Hundred Ways' and that it would be romantic and I wouldn't hate him. I asked why and he just looked at me very pointedly and I knew. Then, I'm pretty sure he was gonna tell me he loves, or at least loved, me."

The boys were silent and they gaped at her.

"He's never told me that," she continued quietly. "I'm not sure I've ever really straight-up told him either, but I've implied it more than him."

"That's big," Spiederman finally spoke up. "What would you have said if he'd told you that?"

Jude shrugged. "I don't know, Spied. It's like, I wanted to hear it, but hearing it would change _everything_ for us all over again. We've had moments that have done that and this would've been one of them; probably the biggest."

"Well, yeah," Jamie agreed. "I mean, I've been actually dating Patsy for over a year and a half and I've never told her I love her."

Kyle threw a pillow at him. "Man, if you think your relationship with the Queen of Death is anything close to what Jude and Tommy have, you're an idiot."

"I just meant that saying 'I love you' is huge and you gotta be ready for it," Jamie reported dryly.

"Jamie, after three years of going through what I have, don't you think I'm ready for it?" she snapped. "I'm sorry, Jamie, but this has been a very interesting night for me."

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Do you guys wanna do something or just sit around?"

"Uhh, there's not much to do," Wally answered. "It's past 11, Toronto has gone all _Neighborhood Watch_, and if we gotta be at the studio early, we'd just regret it."

"Yeah," Jude sighed. "Let's just stay in and put in a movie or something."

Kyle stood up and went to the stacker next to her TV that encased all her movies. "Well, my vote is for _Wedding Crashers_ or _Zoolander_."

"Uhh, _Wedding Crashers_," Spiederman chose. "Me and Jude watched _Zoolander_ on Friday afternoon before the rehearsal dinner."

"Okay," Kyle nodded and put it into the DVD player.

They'd watched the movie together on late nights a hundred times, but it somehow got funnier every time they saw it. Even after the long night, Jude still laughed at the appearance of Will Ferrell at the end.

"So, Jude, how was that _Rolling Stone_ interview yesterday?" Jamie asked when it was over. "I heard the dates were all messed up."

"It was fine," she told him. "She was really nice and just asked about the next album, and how I'd made it through the photo incident, and stuff about me and Tommy."

"What did you say about the pictures?" Kyle asked. "You never talked about them much."

"I just said that you all got me through it," she told them. "I didn't want to name drop or anything, but Spied, when you read it, your eyes won't be deceiving you if your name _does_ appear."

His eyes lit up. "Wait, what? My name is gonna be in _Rolling Stone_? Dude, that's awesome!" he cried. "You don't even have to get me a Christmas present for this!"

"Why do you think I did it?" she laughed. "To be nice? Please."

He shrugged. "I don't care what your ulterior motives are, cause I'm gonna be in the greatest magazine ever known to man!"

"Dude, she said your name in _Rolling Stone_, not _Playboy_," Kyle smirked. "Why not my name?"

"Cause I know what to get you for Christmas," she replied. "And you will love it."

"I'm sure I will," he scoffed. "And I'll like it even more if it's expensive. You know, my drum set is pretty worn out."

"Tell that to Darius," she shot back. "I don't deal with equipment."

They spent the rest of the night joking around, telling old stories, and talking about the upcoming and highly anticipated third album.

"Alright, well, I'm going to bed," Jude yawned around 2:15. "That couch folds out and there's the guest room. I'll leave it to you all to fight over who sleeps where."


	7. Chapter 7

**So, people are reading and not reviewing and it's only my first story and that makes me sad. Well, I'm working on a oneshot right now about what happens when Jude attends Tommy's wedding in California and it should be up hopefully within the next couple of days depending on AP English. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own _Instant Star_, or anything else you recognize for that matter. No suing me, I just quit my job.**

The next morning, Jude woke up to find Jamie and Kyle in the guest room and Spiederman and Wally sprawled out in the living room, neither of them on the pull-out bed.

She kicked Spiederman in the side. "Hey, get up! We gotta be at G-Major in, like, 20 minutes."

"Alright," he mumbled, sitting up. "Hey, Wallace, come on," he added, punching his friend's arm. "Give us five minutes, dude."

Ten minutes later, the five of them were dressed and seated in her Mustang, on their way to the studio.

"Miss Harrison, are you finally going to record something worth the money we spend on you?" Liam asked coolly as soon as she walked inside. "It's about time. Mr. Quincy is waiting for you in studio A." He gave her a raised eyebrow and sauntered off to his office.

"Good morning, sunshine," Tommy joked, handing her a cup of coffee as she sat down next to him in front of the mixing board. "Late night with the boys?"

"Yeah," she said sleepily, pulling a notebook out of her bag. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he admitted. "You wanna show me how it's done?"

Jude smirked and walked into the recording booth. "There are a lot of inappropriate answers to that question."

"I'm sure there are," he smirked, remembering the first time he'd said that to her. "Now, let's hear these songs."

She cleared her throat and opened the notebook to where she'd written down 'A Hundred Ways' while he got himself ready.

Tommy sat in the mixing booth, watching the emotion float over Jude's face as she sang. He'd always thought all of her songs were amazing, but this one took the cake. It was sad and thoughtful and it hurt him to hear how badly she'd needed him back. When he'd first met Sophie, he was so uncomfortable having left Jude for Montana, but after a year, he'd fallen in love with the child and he wouldn't have given her up for the world. But, watching Jude hold back tears while she sang showed him what he would probably give up when she found out the real truth about Sophia and he still wasn't ready for that.

"So, what do you think?" she asked sheepishly when she'd finished. "Good, bad, or ugly?"

"None of the above," he smiled softly. "Girl, that was hands down the best song I've ever heard in my life, and not just because it's about yours truly."

Jude smirked and joined him back in his booth. "Maybe we should just work on that one for a while before going into 'Not Again,'" she suggested, referring to the second song. "Plus, I'm hungry."

They walked into the lobby to find all of the staff seated around Darius, who looked at Jude and Tommy and smiled. "Good, we've been waiting for you."

"Uhh, what's going on?" Jude asked, sitting down across Spiederman, Wally, and Kyle, who had taken up an entire couch. "Family meeting?" she joked.

"Well, now that things are going to pick up around here again, I've decided a little project is needed," Darius announced, holding up a plastic cup. "Inside this cup, I've written down all of your names on a piece of paper and folded them up. The objective is to draw a name and make a CD of songs that remind you of that person or what they mean to you." He smiled. "You're not to tell them who you are unless they guess, but you can make it obvious if you choose. And, should you tell someone else who you drew, and the person you drew asks them about it, they can tell."

"So, what if we draw someone we barely know?" Kyle spoke out. "I mean, what happens if I get Portia?"

"Then I suggest 'Material Girl' and Ru Paul's classic, 'Covergirl,'" Tommy joked. "And her favorite, Right Said Fred's 'I'm Too Sexy.'"

"No, Tommy, that's _your_ favorite song," Portia shot back coolly. "I prefer the AC/DC hit, 'Moneytalks,' seeing as I _obviously_ married for the money once upon a time."

"Okay, before this fight escalates, let's just choose, shall we?" Darius suggested, holding the cup in front of his sister.

Portia drew and opened the paper. _Patsy_. "Oh, great," she muttered. "Guess I'll looking for anything by Marilyn Manson and Iron Maiden," she whispered, allowing only Jude to hear.

"Patsy, huh?" Jude whispered back. "It's not so bad. You could've gotten Spiederman."

"I guess," she sighed, getting up and walking to her office.

"Jude," Darius said, holding the cup for her to dig into. "Your turn."

Jude reached in and pulled out a small piece of paper, afraid of opening it to reveal the name Liam or Darius. She preferred one of her boys or Mason. Maybe even Sadie, but she didn't know if her sister and brother-in-law had been put into it at all since they were away. She slowly opened the folded parchment and half-gasped, half-smiled. _Tommy._

Just as Jude was looking at his name, he was staring at the name he'd chosen. _Jude_. Talk about a twist of fate.

"So, who'd you get?" Spiederman asked Jude as they sat around with Wally and Kyle in an empty studio later that afternoon. "I got Liam," he smiled devilishly. "How songs do you think have been written about pompous jerks and stylish idiots?"

"Yeah, so I must be psychic, cause I did get Portia," Kyle sighed. "I told Darius and he said he'd help me."

Jude rolled her eyes. "You should look into that for the future." She sighed. "I got Tommy."

"Shocker," Wally scoffed. "I'm sure you have thousands of songs to put for him, yeah?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I've got ideas, yeah, but I don't know how I want to do it."

"If you want my expert advice, which is always good, I say you give him a little bit of every part of your relationship with him," Spiederman told her wisely. "When you first met, when you were waiting for him, when he left, now that he's back. You know, cover it all."

"Good idea," she nodded. "Did anyone hear when this has to be done by?"

"Tomorrow," Wally answered. "So, I'm gonna need a ride back to your apartment so I can steal my brother's car back to get home and work."

Jude led them out to her car, just as Tommy was loading stuff into an unfamiliar-looking black Range Rover.

"Someone call an ambulance," Spiederman gagged frantically. "I think I'm having a heart attack; Little Tommy Q drives a safe car."

"Little Tommy Q takes care of a kid," he reminded them. "A kid I'm late to pick up from ballet." He nodded and got in, speeding away, only as if to prove he was still the same guy who kept his beloved Viper and motorcycle in a garage across town.

After Jude got to her apartment and the boys had all left, she settled onto her sofa and turned on MTV to see an old episode of _Cribs_, showcasing Darius' Toronto estate.

"Oh, God," she laughed, watching Shay make a guest appearance. It was from right before she'd met him at G-Major and when Georgia was still running the show. She missed her, and even EJ, and talked to them sporadically, but she'd grown more under Darius and didn't regret that he'd taken over, even if she'd never admit that out loud.

Just as she logged onto iTunes, her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered, starting a new playlist.

"Is this Miss Jude Harrison?" a familiar voice asked. "This is her gorgeous sister looking for her."

"Hello, Mrs. Taylor," Jude laughed. "How's the honeymoon? Is Kwest still sick?"

"Healthy as a horse," Sadie replied. "We spent all day at the beach and he's taking me out for dinner tonight."

Jude smiled. "Sounds nice, Sade. So, you're missing out on some good stuff here."

"Like what?" Sadie asked. "Kwest is in the shower, so I've got time."

Jude proceeded to tell her everything that had happened the night before and that day, including the CD project and recording 'A Hundred Ways.'

"Sounds exciting," she whined. "I can't believe I have to miss it all."

"Sadie, you're on your honeymoon!" Jude cried. "I'd kill to be where you are right now."

"With Kwest or with Tommy?" Sadie teased. "No, seriously, Jude, what songs are you gonna put on the CD?"

"I've got ideas," Jude smiled, dragging songs to the playlist. "So, I'm still picking you up Saturday morning, yes?"

"Yeah," Sadie confirmed. "Okay, my _husband_ is done, so we're gonna go. Oh, I love saying that!" she squealed, just as she hung up.

Jude looked at the screen in front of her, smiled, and loaded a CD to copy them all onto.


	8. Chapter 8

**The songs in this chapter were picked in like, August or September, so if something's come out better since then, I give you permission to pretend it's on there. **

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own anything you recognize.  
**

The next morning, she dropped the CD off in Tommy's mailbox and fell to a couch in the lobby.

"Tired?" she heard Portia ask behind her. "Try coming up with 10 songs for the Queen of Death." She sat down next to Jude. "I could kill Darius for this."

"Portia, when you and Tommy were married, were things ever really complicated? Like, you loved him and he didn't love you or vice-versa?"

"Not really," Portia shook her head. "I mean, I waited around for him, but it wasn't that intimate for us. We were young, stupid, and he was good-looking."

"And rich," Jude put in, recalling Portia's comment yesterday about 'Moneytalks.' "What songs did you put?"

She shrugged. "A little Manson, some Iron Maiden, a few of Courtney Love's earliest stuff, and, to shock her, 'Hit Me Baby One More Time.'"

"Classic," Jude smirked, watching Tommy walk into the studio and straight to his mailbox. "I'll be in studio C if I'm needed." She got up and walked away.

_Tracks To Tommy_

_All You Wanted- Michelle Branch- _except I never wanted to be like you

_Who Knew- Pink_- for once, I was wrong about you

_Behind These Hazel Eyes- Kelly Clarkson_- or blue eyes, but whatever

_Our Lips Are Sealed- The Go-Go's_- tabloids do talk

_Low- Kelly Clarkson_- seems to fit how I found out about everything last

_With You- Jessica Simpson_- minus the whole 'southern girl in Levi's' part

_Addicted- Kelly Clarkson_- this one's pretty right on

_There's Us- Jude Harrison_- only cause her stuff is AMAZING

_The Light in Your Eyes- Sheryl Crow_- things have changed

_Stuck- Stacie Orrico_- I hate you, yet I don't really

_Gone- Kelly Clarkson- _how I felt when you came back

_Beautiful Disaster- Kelly Clarkson_- the most meaningful one I picked

_I guess that these make it pretty obvious that I did this, but whatever. Kelly Clarkson seems to tell it best. I hope you like the little comments I left, too._

_-Jude_

Tommy smiled as he read and re-read her cover. He looked around to make sure no one was looking, and that most of the staff was there, before he slipped his CD into her mailbox before disappearing into his office.

Jude spent most of the day working on 'A Hundred Ways,' stopping only for a quick lunch with Mason and Jamie. Before she left, she checked her mailbox, knowing a CD would be waiting for her retrieval. And there it was.

_Songs For Jude_

_A Little Less Sixteen Candles...- Fall Out Boy_- Never meant to hurt you

_Are You Gonna Be My Girl- Jet_- Well, maybe someday...?

_Back To You- John Mayer_- I'm never over you

_Over-Rated- Gavin DeGraw_- Not sure what to say about this one

_For You I Will(Confidence)- Teddy Geiger_- If it's what I gotta do

_Hey Jude- The Beatles_- Seriously, like I could leave this off?

_I'll Be- Edwin McCain_- Give me time to be

_More Than Anyone- Gavin DeGraw_- Good song

_We Belong Together- Gavin DeGraw-_ A little off, but the title fits

_The Stupid Things- Jesse McCartney_- Yeah, an ex-boy bander, but good theme

_You and Me- Lifehouse_- Screw everyone else

_Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana_- Just cause it's your favorite

_Apology- Ashley Parker Angel_- I really am sorry

_The Dance- Garth Brooks_- Seems to be our song

_You're My Best Friend- Queen- _You really are, girl; forget Kwest

_So, oops, I made it obvious. I guess I just wanted you to know how I felt in another way than me just telling you..._

_-Tommy_

Jude smiled at the songs he'd chosen and at what he'd written along with them, thinking of the comments she'd left him. Great minds think alike.

"Hey, dude, can I get a ride?" Spiederman asked her, jarring her thoughts. "My Jeep is out of commission for the time being. I let my cousin Danielle drive it last night and it still hasn't turned up."

"Let's go," she nodded, walking out to her car. "So, did you get your CD?"

"Yep," he said, holding it up. "Wallace made it."

"Aww," she laughed. "What's on it?"

"The guy went all stupid and put a bunch of sappy friendship songs to be stupid," he laughed, popping the CD into her stereo system. 'You're My Best Friend' by Queen played through. "See? And this is about a girl."

"Hey, that's on my CD!" she cried.

"Who made it? Jamie?" he guessed.

She shook her head and handed it to him. "Tommy."

He read over the list with interest. "I know most of these songs and let me just say, wow."

"Yeah," she breathed. "Thing is, I put songs on his that kinda go along with these. Powerful stuff that I could never straight up tell him."

"Yeah, well, bravery never was your strongest suit, was it, you giant chicken?" he joked. "Have you talked to him about it?"

"I just got it," she answered. "And I don't even know what to say to him."

"Hmm, you could always go for, like, the truth and just tell him you, I don't know, love him?" he suggested smartly.

"It's not that easy and you know it," she replied tiredly, pulling up in front of his parent's large house. "You ever gonna move outta here? I still don't understand why you, Wally, and Kyle don't move into the rehearsal space?"

He eyed her as he climbed out. "Okay, before you ask that again, think about the neighborhood it's in and tell me: would you want to sleep there?"

"You're right," she smiled. "Well, a guy across the hall from me is going to Rome for a year on business and wants to sublet his place. You could always move in there." She shrugged and pulled away from the curb, stopping at Taco Bell for food before settling into her apartment for the night.


	9. Chapter 9

Jude and Tommy made it through the rest of the week without bringing up the CD's, or so Jude thought as she was at the studio Friday afternoon before heading to the Vinyl Palace for her showcase.

"So, are we gonna avoid talking about it until we're gray?" he asked from behind her as she loaded her guitar into it's case.

"Well, for you, Quince, that's not too far off," she joked, turning to face him. "And I didn't bring it up cause I didn't think you'd want to."

"Same here," he nodded, leaning against the front desk in a way only Tommy could. "So, those songs...?"

She sighed, remembering what she'd put. "Look, Spied thought it would be a good idea to sort of put songs about our entire history, so you have to think about what's gone on between us to know where they fall in."

Tommy smirked and pulled the list from the back pocket of his jeans. "Okay, where exactly does the Sheryl Crow song go?"

"About right after you kissed me when we played 'White Lines' for Darius," she said slowly. "Something kind of changed then and that's how I felt about it."

He continued reading. "And when have you ever hated me and loved me at the same time as in this 'Stuck On You' song?"

"Uhh, all the time," she answered dryly. "And I have two words for you, Quincy: Jesse McCartney? I find that to be a little odd for you to have, or know even?"

"Yeah, some of those songs I had to find," he admitted. "I've actually heard him play that song live for a charity thing and it kinda came to me, so I downloaded it."

"Right," she mused, putting on her jean jacket. "Well, I've got places to be and fans to please."

"I'll be there," he nodded.

"Where's Sophia?" she asked on her way out.

"Visiting my aunt and uncle for the weekend back in Montana," he answered. "My uncle Allen was here for some business and my aunt Lydia missed her, so she flew home with him until Monday."

"Oh," Jude said. "See ya later then," she shrugged, leaving the studio for the Vinyl Palace, the first place she'd ever performed as the first winner of _Instant Star._

"Ladies and gentlemen, fans of all ages, welcome to the Friday night showcase here at the Vinyl Palace!" Darius cried out to the roaring audience later that night. "So, tonight, Jude's gonna be performing four of her hit songs _and _a few more."

Jude, who was standing at the edge of the stage, stopped tuning her guitar and stared at him. "Excuse me?" she called out.

"What Jude obviously doesn't know is that all week long, the staff at G Major has been going over the playlist on her iPod, entering their names to pick a song for her to sing tonight," Darius explained. "Three people have won and after she's done with her stuff, she'll sing theirs. So, here she is," he went on, moving to the side, "Jude Harrison!"

While Jude performed her songs, Tommy stood against the back wall of the joint, by himself, watching her. He'd never been one to be backstage during her performances, running around like a chicken with his head cut off as everyone else did. He liked watching her; it was his thing.

"Alright, that was great, right?" Darius yelled out 45 minutes later, coming back on stage as Jude walked off for water. "Alright, well, the first winner at the studio is none other than her longtime best friend, Jamie Andrews, our A & R intern. So, James, what did you pick?"

"Umm, I picked 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,'" Jamie said from somewhere backstage. "Jude loves Nirvana and Kurt Cobain and she knows those lyrics like the back of her hand."

Jude shook her head as the band started playing the intro to one of her favorite songs. She hadn't ever performed the song before, but she loved it. She danced around with Spiederman and Wally, shook her butt at Kyle, and got the crowd way into it. She felt free while she sang it, probably because there wasn't anything to it like in her own stuff.

"Okay, so I was the second big winner and I didn't pick a song I knew Jude liked," Spiederman admitted into her microphone once she'd finished Jamie's song. "I actually picked a song we'd like to play, so uhh, Jude, you're singing 'If It Makes You Happy' by Sheryl Crow now." He stepped back and strummed the slow rift to start the song.

"I hate you guys," she laughed into the microphone. "Whatever. _I've been long, long way from here..."_

"She looks good, doesn't she?" Jamie asked Tommy, stepping up next to him. "Self-sufficient and all?"

"Are you getting at something, Andrews?" Tommy demanded. "Rubbing it in my face that she doesn't need me anymore?"

"The opposite," Jamie admitted, watching her sit on the stool that Portia had taken out to her. "She needs you now more than ever, Tom. Don't let her appearance fool you; if I know anything other than music, it's Jude, and I can read her like a book." He stared at Tommy intently for another minute before walking away.

"Okay, so what's next?" Jude called out, finishing the Sheryl Crow. "A little Britney Spears from Portia? Maybe some Beatles from Liam?"

Tommy picked up a microphone from the sound booth next to him and turned it on. "Actually, Harrison, I won the last song."

"Great," she muttered. "Now what? Old school Boyz Attack? Or Ru Paul?" She swore upon saying that she heard Portia laugh somewhere behind her.

"Very funny," he smirked in his very Tommy-like way. "No, I actually selected a song I'm not going to tell you. In fact, I'm going to play it."

"Huh?" she whispered, watching SME walk off the stage and Tommy walk up, carrying an acoustic guitar and another stool.

"See, this is a song that I know you know," he went on. "You have the original, but there's this TV show in the States called _One Tree Hill_ and this girl did a duet of it with this guy and it came out nicely, so you and I are gonna try it that way." He sat down and strummed the beginning of 'Where the Stars Go Blue.' "You sing the first part, I'll sing the second, and we'll collaborate on the chorus. Just follow my lead, girl."

"_Dancing where the stars go blue, dancing where the evening fell, dancing in my wooden shoes, in a wedding gown," _she sang softly. She'd seen the show.

He continued. "_Dancing out on Seventh Street, dancing through the Underground, dancing little marionette, are you happy now, yeah?"_

"Wow," Wally breathed, standing next to Portia in the wings. "That's a good duet."

"No," Portia shook her head. "That's a _great_ duet."

Jude couldn't look at Tommy the entire time the sang together. Sure, she'd worked with him in the studio, and she'd sang in a charity thing with him and the other members of Boyz Attack back in the day, but never just the two of them. Not in public, at least.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Darius yelled, taking the stage when they were done. "That was a great show, thanks for coming, and check Jude out on tour soon enough!"

"Good night!" Jude yelled, walking off stage.

"Jude, wait!" Tommy called after her, following her to her dressing room. "What's the rush?"

"The rush is the fact that you and I just performed in front of 200 people together, Tommy!" she cried, slamming the door. "Do you know how many times I imagined doing that, just you and me, together?"

"What do you mean together?" he asked, backing her up against a wall. "Together, like you and me? Or together, like as a couple?"

She stared at him nervously. "Both, neither, I don't know. That was a lot for me to handle right there. Why couldn't you have just let me sing something by the Ramones or something?"

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked, looking around the room. "Do you remember this room?"

"Duh," she muttered. On the night of her first ever performance there, it was the same room she'd kissed him for the first time. "It's the room that ruined my life."

He looked hurt. "Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

"Cause if I had never kissed you, I'd never feel like this," she mumbled, packing up her guitar. "Inside, I'm totally fighting myself right now. Half of me wants to kiss you and the other half wants to slug you."

"I'd say to go with the first half," he smiled, stepping closer to her.

She scoffed. "Too bad; the second half just made it 60/40." But, instead of hitting him, she walked around him and left the room.

"God, when did she get so stubborn?" Tommy complained to Darius as they watched her walk to SME's dressing room.

"My guess is when she emerged from the womb," Darius smirked. "Come on, Tom, what did you think? Singing with her would make her forget that you left for a year? If you did, Montana really got to your head." He walked away, leaving Tommy to think about his words.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, all. Just thought I'd let you know that I love this chapter on the boat.**

"Well, well, well, look who's back from Tahiti," Jude smiled when Sadie and Kwest walked past security at the airport the following morning. "All tan and fabulous-looking."

"Jude!" Sadie squealed, rushing to hug her little sister. "God, you look older and it's only been a week!"

"Yeah, well, a lot has happened," Jude admitted, leading them to find their bags. "Especially last night."

"What happened last night?" Kwest asked, following her to her Mustang. "Something bad?"

"Bad, electric, scary, nerve-wracking," she nodded. "Those are all words I'd use to describe the course of events."

Sadie stared at her as Jude pulled out of the airport's parking garage. "That sounds like the dirty work of Mr. Tom Quincy."

"These days, everything is," Jude explained. "See, I had that showcase at the Vinyl Palace and was only supposed to do four of my songs: '24 Hours,' 'My Sweet Time,' 'Let Me Fall,' and 'Natural Disaster.' Well, we get there and Darius announces that G Major had been doing some drawing all week and three staff members got to pick a song from my iPod for me to sing. Well, I was okay with 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' from Jamie and 'If It Makes You Happy' from Spiederman, but Tommy chose 'Where the Stars Go Blue.'"

"That's a good song," Kwest noted. "What's the big deal?"

"He played it _and_ made it into a duet," she went on. "It was just weird, you know? Then, backstage, we got into it and I told them him that I halfway wanted to kiss him and half wanted to punch him, so he made a cute comment and I stormed out. He infuriates me."

"Sure he does," Kwest teased from the backseat.

Jude threw him a look. "Don't go there, Kwest. Since you're family now, I can kill you."

"Oh, once you're family, it becomes legal?" he joked.

"Are you guys ready to go straight to the yacht or do we need to stop so you can change?" Jude asked, ignoring him.

"Please," Sadie scoffed. "As one of Darius' loyal servants, much like Tom and Liam, Kwest was always connected."

"Let me guess," Jude grinned. "His Crackberry? Yeah, I know a thing or two about those." She laughed at the memories.

"Well, we're dressed under our clothes," Sadie explained. "And what about you? Please tell me you're not in that hideous black one piece, Jude?"

"No, I got a new red string bikini at Pac Sun the other day with Patsy," Jude assured her.

"How in God's name did you get her in there?" Sadie asked incredulously. "I mean, it's not Hot Topic or some shady thrift store."

"I told her she could shoplift something," Jude answered, pulling into the marina's parking lot. "Which, of course, she did."

"That's my girl," Kwest laughed, getting out of the car. "So, are we getting ourselves back into anything weird we should know about?"

"Nothing new," Jude shook her head, grabbing her bag from the trunk. "Darius is still all-powerful, Liam is still pretentious, and everyone else is still lost in between."

"Good to know," he nodded, taking Sadie's hand as the three of them boarded the boat.

"It's about time!" Darius called out through his megaphone. "I'm used to waiting on Jude, but Kwest and Sadie? That's new."

"Yeah, but who drove?" Tommy asked from behind him, leaning against the railing in a black t-shirt and white board shorts.

"Hey, I got us all here safely," she pointed out. "And last I checked, my car is way cooler than that Soccer Mom thing you drive."

He pointed out to the parking lot to his familiar Viper. "Not today, Harrison."

Jude sighed and walked into the cabin, finding Jamie leaning against the bar. "Hey."

"How did the newlyweds enjoy Tahiti?" he asked.

"They loved it," she replied. "And I couldn't be happier for her, Jame. I mean, Kwest gives her love and attention; all Tommy ever gave her was lies and crap."

"And what does he give you?" he implored, taking a sip of his Coke.

"A headache," she answered honestly. "Seriously, last night, after his little performance, you couldn't have cut the tension between us in my dressing room with a hacksaw cause it was so thick."

Jamie chuckled. "That's funny. Most girls would describe him as 'godly' or 'gorgeous,' but you say no?"

"I'd say if you look up the word 'ignoramus' in the dictionary, his picture would take up an entire page."

"Ah, yes, that's what most guys would say to describe him," he laughed, watching Patsy pour her own mix of Jack Daniels and Sprite. "Do you like her?"

"Who, Patsy?" Jude asked. "Absolutely, Jamie. I mean, sure, she's a little unconventional most of the time, but she's another girl around. There's too much combined testosterone at G-Major for me, so having Patsy around lightens the mood a bit." She stared at him oddly. "Why do you ask?"

"My parents are visiting from B.C. next week and they want to meet her this time," he answered coolly, his voice tensing up.

"Ah," she nodded slowly. The Andrews' were both doctors in British Columbia and had left Jamie with his grandmother as a child. They were incredibly uptight and old-fashioned and Jude knew they would never approve of Patsy. "Well, Jamie I'll be around if they need convincing about her. They've always liked me."

"Cause they always thought you'd end up with me," he muttered. "God, what are they gonna say when they meet her?"

Jude nudged him. "When have you ever really cared? I mean, you see them what, once every few months? They come for a few days, criticize everything you do, and leave."

"Yeah," he sighed. "Plus, Patsy should make their trip fairly interesting."

"Hey, Jude, come lay out with me," Sadie said, sticking her head in. "Portia is on the phone with Betsey Johnson's people, so you're my only other girl." She glanced at Patsy, who was tempting a waiter to arm wrestle. "Yeah, just you."

Jude followed her sister to the top of the mega-yacht, which was, surprisingly, empty. She pulled off her vintage Rolling Stones t-shirt and brown Bermuda shorts before spreading out her towel. She laid on her stomach and pulled her iPod from her bag. "Alright, I'm gonna turn on Nirvana, so if I fall asleep, wake me up in half an hour to flip over."

Just as Sadie settled onto her towel, she noticed Tommy staring in Jude's direction. She couldn't see his expression behind his aviator sunglasses, but she smiled at him knowingly before she stood up and made her way to him.

"Leave drooling to dogs," she advised, closing his mouth with her finger. "It's highly unattractive, Tom."

"I should be in jail for my thoughts," he admitted quietly. "I don't care if she is 18 now."

"Well, her being 18 means that she's an adult and has to make her own decisions," Sadie pointed out. "Look, I know you hurt her, and as her older sister, I still kinda hate you for that, even if she doesn't. But, let it be known that I want to see her happy and when you two aren't fighting? Well, I've never seen her happier."

He sighed. "If only it were that simple. And what makes you think she's forgiven me, Sade? The wall around her heart is barely even thawing." He stared at Jude a minute longer before descending back to the lower decks.

"What was that all about?" Jude asked Sadie once they were together again. "You're not thinking of cheating on Kwest already, are you?" she joked.

"Jude, you've gotta let him in," Sadie stated calmly. "I know that's hard for you to hear, and I'm sure you've been hearing it all week, but you just have to do it. Simple as that." Jude opened her mouth to respond, but Sadie held up a hand. "Don't tell me it's _not_ that simple, Jude, cause it is. Look, there are things you don't know about Tommy, things I don't have the right to tell you, but he's grown up a lot in the last year and the last thing he needs is the _woman_ he loves keeping him at arms length."

"All I was going to say was 'how do I make that happen?'" Jude spoke sheepishly. "I mean, last night, I went AWOL. And I lied to him. When I told him I half wanted to kiss him, half punch him, about 90 of me really did want to kiss him."

Sadie smiled. "Talk to him; that's the best I can offer."

"I haven't kissed him in 376 days," Jude commented quietly. "Pathetic I would keep count, huh?"

"Not really," Sadie shook her head. "Now, get some sun and plan your next move."

"Hey, Sadie, where's Jude?" Spiederman asked Sadie a couple of hours later, finding Sadie near the bar. "Me and Wally are working on some music we want to show her."

"Jude!" Sadie screeched, pushing past him to rush back to the top deck. Jude was still sleeping on her stomach, her back as red as her bathing suit. "Oh, God."

Tommy appeared at Sadie's side, along with Kwest, Spiederman, Wally, and Portia. "Way to go, Sade. You've burnt your sister."

"If you wake her up, she'll freak," Portia reported, kneeling down next to Jude. "This is some serious damage."

"Well, we'll have to somehow get her to her car and take her home then," Sadie sighed, packing up her and Jude's stuff.

"I'll carry her," Tommy offered, bending down to carefully pick the girl up. "Just put her stuff into my car and I'll take her home. You guys stay; you haven't seen these people in a week and I've had enough of them already."

Sadie raised an eyebrow at him as she followed him to the lower deck. The ship had been re-docked for half an hour and everyone was just partying, not caring they were no longer sailing. "We'll just bring her car to my house, get mine, bring hers to her apartment, and go back."

"Whatever," Tommy shrugged, gently laying Jude in the passenger seat of his Viper. "Are her keys in her bag?"

Sadie reached in and handed them to him. "You can't go through a girl's bag, Tommy, no matter who she is."

Tommy drove back to the apartment complex in the most careful manner he'd ever driven the Viper. It had always been his _fun _carallowing him to be free and reckless, but with a pained Jude next to him, the thought of driving like that made him sick. He pulled into a spot in the complex's garage, got out, and slowly lifted her out, careful still not to wake her. Once at her door, he fumbled with the keys and unlocked it.

"What's going on?" she muttered, finally waking up as he laid her in her bed. "Tommy?"

"Shh," he whispered softly. "You got pretty sunburnt, Jude, so try not to roll onto your back."

"I what?" she muttered sadly. "I'll kill Sadie."

"Hey, _you_ fell asleep," he reminded her.

She eyed him narrowly. "Do you really wanna fight right now, Quince?"

"I'll fight with you anytime," he murmured quietly. "If it means you'd talk to me openly."

She closed her eyes to keep from showing him any emotion. "Not now, Tommy. My back is on fire and I just want to go to sleep." She slowly reached around her back and untied her top. "You can go now. Thanks for getting me here." She pulled the top away and threw it to the ground.

"Fine," he sighed, walking to the door of her room. "Should I tell Sadie you won't be there to help tomorrow?"

"Duh," he heard her mumble before a pillow found it's way to the top of her head.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So, it's basically going to be 3 chapters a day until this story is completely up. And after re-reading it last night, I realized that the chapters are gonna get longer. And, thanks to my reviewers. For everyone waiting for the Jommyness, here you go.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, don't sue me.**

The next morning, Jude's back hurt so bad she couldn't stand it, but she managed to change out of her bikini bottoms into a pair of super short cotton shorts and made her way to the sofa in her living room. Once she was laying on her stomach, still topless, she winced as she turned on the TV. After flipping through channels, she settled on an _America's Next Top Model_ marathon and took a deep breath. She knew she needed to rub aloe on her back but it was in her hall closet and she wasn't moving.

Before she could think anything else, there was a knock at her door.

"Come in!" she managed to yell, knowing it could be a murderer or psychotic fan.

"Whoa," Tommy breathed, appearing in front of her. "Jude, your back is a mess."

"No kidding," she growled, suddenly aware she was topless in front of him. "Instead of standing there, pointing out what I already know, Captain Obvious, why don't you go to that closet in the hallway and get the aloe?"

A moment later, he returned and gently settled on the edge of the couch, pouring the stuff into his hands.

"I can do it," she lied.

"Shut up," he mumbled, caressing her skin softly as he rubbed the gel onto her blistering back.

She groaned in relief. "You have no idea how nice that feels." She sighed and relaxed, not caring anymore that she was topless. "What time are you helping Sadie and Kwest?"

"Uhh, I'm supposed to be at the house in ten minutes, but I'm gonna call and tell them I'm gonna stay here with you today."

"You don't have to do that," she told him in a whisper. "I'm a big-,"

"Girl," he cut her off. "I know that, Harrison, but seeing you all helpless and desperate gets to me so I'm staying whether you like it or not." He pulled out his phone and dialed Kwest.

"Hello?" Kwest answered. "Tom, where you at?"

"With Jude," he replied. "She's in pretty bad shape, so I'm gonna stay with her today."

"Oh," Kwest said knowingly. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He paused. "And now that I'm married, that's not much."

Tommy chuckled and hung up, setting his phone on her coffee table. "So, the apartment came together nicely."

"Yeah, apparently, Jamie has a knack for arranging things," she laughed before groaning. "God, that hurts."

He delicately massaged her back. "Is that okay?"

"I'd feel less uncomfortable if it wasn't you, but it feels amazing," she reported.

He stopped. "Jude, are you ever gonna let me in again?"

"Come on, Tommy, we've talked about this," she muttered. "And I'm not in the mood right now to discuss it again."

"Well, I am," he said, standing up and looking down at her. "I know I hurt you, okay? And if you think I don't feel bad about it, you're not as grown up as Sadie says you are."

Jude struggled to sit up, covering herself with a throw cover. "Tommy, when you left, I was _forced_ to grow up cause I didn't have you to lean on anymore. Sure, I had my dad and Sadie and the boys, but there was something about you that always made me feel okay, no matter what was happening." She twinged as a small movement pulled at the skin on her back, so she leaned back. "You don't get to decide when we talk about whatever anymore, okay? The ball is in my court and I'm calling halftime."

"No," he said simply. "We're not going to dance around this as long as you want to cause you'll just keep putting it off and I'm tired of that." He sat down next to her. "Jude, this is ridiculous. You _know_ I hate myself for what I did to you and deep down, you're fighting _yourself_ to keep you from me."

"You're infuriating!" she yelled, causing more pain in her back than she could handle. "Jesus!" She fell back onto her stomach and winced. "See what you do to me?"

He stared at her pointedly before opening the aloe to rub it on her back again. "Yeah, blame me every time you're hurt."

"Most of the time, I can," she mumbled, diving her face into the couch.

Tommy sighed and slid to the floor, changing the channel to a re-run of _Seinfeld_. "Go on, Harrison, keep pretending you hate me."

"Who says I'm pretending?" she asked wryly. She saw his face drop, even if he was staring at the TV. "Look, I don't hate you, Tommy, but to be completely honest, I don't know how I feel about you at all."

"Like, you could hate me _or_ you could to the opposite of hate me?" he asked subtly. "Why can't you tell me how you feel?"

"Why can't you?" she shot back. She closed her eyes as she heard the TV shut off. "A lot has happened in a year, Tommy, and yet, you're still on my mind 24/7. It's like the TV in my head is always on 'The Tommy Channel' and I hate it."

"Jude, if I tell you how I feel, I'd be letting myself go and I've never done that," he explained softly. "And I'm sorry if I'm not comfortable with that, but if you don't know me well enough to read how I feel about you, then you don't know me."

"Maybe I don't," she whispered. "I mean, really, do I know anything about you?"

Before she could go on or he could answer, his face plunged into hers and he kissed her. From that kiss, she remembered every other kiss they'd ever shared and they all flew out the window compared to this one. It was soft and passionate, yet forceful and hungry. It was his way of telling her he needed her without actually saying it.

"What was that?" she demanded, finally forcing herself to pull away.

"That bad?" he asked coolly.

"I didn't say that," she replied. "Why did you do it?"

"To shut you up," he smirked. "It worked, didn't it?"

"That it did," she sighed, closing her eyes again. "Tommy, you can't keep doing that to me if it's not going to mean anything. Yes, I'd like to think I've grown up a lot, but I can't handle that anymore; in a lot of people's eyes, and sometimes even my own, I'm still a kid."

"When did I say that didn't mean anything ulteriorly for me?" he mused, raising an eyebrow. "Every time I've ever kissed you, Jude, or almost kissed you, it's meant way more than you know."

She glanced at him nervously. "Then why did you always push it away? Were you _that_ scared of the age difference?"

"No," he admitted, sitting over her on the sofa again. "I was scared of you, Harrison. No girl, not one, has ever gotten to me the way you did; still do, actually. In relationships, I've always held the reins, even with Sadie, but with you, I was always guessing." He smiled at her expression. "You may think you were the confused one, Jude, but you weren't. You always knew what you wanted and you made that clear. I knew what I wanted but was too afraid to admit it."

"Well, congratulations," she laughed. "Tom Quincy just admitted something scared him."

"Good to know you haven't lost that infamous sense of humor," he scoffed. "God, what is it about you that is so incredibly attractive?"

She made a face. "The fact that I can irritate you one minute and leave you speechless the next," she answered confidently. That much she did know about him.

"I guess so," he nodded. "It's either that or the fact that you're sitting up, topless, and without anything to cover you."

Jude looked down at herself in horror before grabbing the blanket. "Awkward," she sang under her breath, just before a yawn.

"Tired?" he asked suddenly. "Being sunburnt the way you are can drain you." He stood up. "Go back to sleep and when you wake up, I'll make us something to eat."

She didn't need to hear anymore before sliding back to her stomach and slowly drifting off to sleep, his scent still thick in the air around her.

"Tommy, what are you doing, man?" Kwest asked an hour later as he and Tommy spoke on the phone. Tommy was sitting on Jude's balcony, watching cars pass below him. "You can't have anything honest with her _until_ you're honest with her."

"I know, man, but I can't," Tommy told him. "I just got her to accept me again and if I tell her the truth now, and she shuts me out, I'll lose it."

Kwest groaned on his end. "Tommy, what if Nic makes an appearance in Toronto? As your sister, that's not completely unimaginable."

"Yes, it is," Tommy corrected. "The last time I talked to her, she told me I was the worst human being on the planet and would rather voluntarily watch the Dixie Chicks in concert forever than talk to me again."

"You've lost it," Kwest muttered to his longtime best friend. "Nic doesn't hold her grudges and you know that."

Tommy knew he'd been defeated. "I'll tell her soon, Kwest. Now, you go back to moving your wife into your house." He hung up and walked back into the living room. Jude was still asleep on the couch, breathing peacefully. "I can't tell her," he murmured to himself. "Not yet."

Jude awoke to the sound of a light guitar strumming. Knowing Tommy had found her acoustic, she kept her eyes closed as she listened to him play the familiar chords of 'White Lines.' The song still haunted her and hearing him, of all people, play it only made it that much scarier. She involuntarily stirred, causing him to stop. "No," she whined. "Keep playing."

"As you wish," he joked, continuing the song. "How are you feeling, girl?"

"Like crap," she answered, her heart still twinging at the term of endearment. "I can totally see myself peeling off an entire layer of skin once this heels."

When he finished playing, he walked to her kitchen and looked through the refrigerator. "Haven't been to the grocery store yet, have you?"

"Yeah, no," she grinned. "I eat out _a lot_ and only ever just buy essentials like toilet paper, coffee, and water or Gatorade."

Tommy shook his head in disappointment as he walked back to her. "Geez, Harrison, how do you survive? What happens when you wake up in the middle of the night and you're hungry?"

"Well," she began, wrapping the blanket around her as she stood up, "I usually just eat one of these," she said, reaching into the freezer for a popsicle. "Ice and sugar; it's a great combo."

"Yeah, very healthy," he smirked, taking the popsicle from her hand. "I'm going to call out for real food, Jude." He put the frozen treat back into the box and picked up her cordless phone. "Do you want Chinese or sushi?"

"Ooh, raw fish or egg rolls?" she rolled her eyes. "Tough choice but I'll go with the egg rolls."

She listened to him talk to Chinese Wok and sat back down. It had been a weird day and she wasn't sure where they stood. They'd kissed, and he'd admitted that he'd liked it. Of course, he was still Tommy and she was still Jude, so fighting and ignorance were still strong forces in the relationship, but it seemed as though healing and forgiveness were becoming forces, too.

"I'm pretty sure the guy said the food would be here in half an hour," he said after he hung up.

"What, you're fluent in Italian and almost in French but not Chinese?" she teased. "I'm disappointed, Quince."

"How many languages do you know?" he implored, sitting on the floor in front of her again. "_Other_ than English."

"I took Spanish in school, almost failed it, and that's about it," she shrugged. "If I live in a country where most people know English, who cares about anything else?"

"What will you do when you go on your first European tour?" he asked. "Hire translators at every stop?"

"Duh," she scoffed. "Isn't that what Darius is for? To pay our outrageous expenses?"

"Oh," he nodded knowingly, "is that what he's for? I always wondered."

"You're funny," she joked, rubbing her hand through his hair. "Good to know Montana didn't change your hairstyle, Quincy."

He turned to face her with a mock look of hurt on his face. "Change the hair that made you fall in love with me, Harrison? Never."

"Could you not say that?" she whispered. "Talking about being in love with you the way I once was isn't making it any easier for me to let you back in."

"Sorry," he whispered. "I know this is hard for you and I'm completely grateful, Jude. Give me one more chance and I promise not to mess it up."

"You better not," she murmured, leaning in to kiss him again. "Cause a twice scorned Jude Harrison is not so pretty. Ask Sadie."

They sat in silence as they waited for their food, reveling in each others company, watching _Two and a Half Men_. It wasn't an awkward silence or anything uncomfortable, just two people trying to put aside their historical differences to make something out of their roller coaster of a relationship.

"So, how's that back feeling now?" Tommy asked later that night as they finished up their egg rolls and rice. "Still hurting? If it is, relish it cause when it starts to itch, that's when you'll really want to kill your sister."

"It's not so bad anymore," she admitted. "If you'd be so kind as to go to my room and find a t-shirt in my dresser, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Tommy stood up from his end of the couch and padded down the hall in his bare feet to her bedroom. He'd been in it the day before, but so had she, so he hadn't explored much. She was still such a kid at heart, with a Nirvana poster on one wall and a corkboard full of music and lyrics on another. She had a ladder of picture frames in the corner near the balcony and he paused to look at it. There were the obvious ones of her with family, and a few of her with the boys and Jamie, but the one of she and him caught him 0ff-guard. He usually hated seeing pictures of himself, but with Jude, he didn't hate it so much. He seemed to remember Portia taking it the morning of the night of his upheaval from Toronto and he was happy that day, operative word being 'day.' Telling Jude he didn't know if he was ever coming back later that night was by far the hardest thing he'd ever done, including sending Portia divorce papers and facing Darius about getting Jude into the limelight.

"Is my room that big or did you forget how to open a dresser?" he heard her ask suddenly, turning to see her leaning against the door frame. She marched over and retrieved a shirt from the second drawer, put it on, and dropped the blanket. "It's kinda plain, but Rome wasn't built in a day."

He chuckled. "I'm surprised you have this picture out," he said, pointing at the frame. "I mean, it's good, but you hated me for a long time."

"Not as long as you think," she corrected. "I guess I was totally stupid and naive when you left, cause up until about three months ago, I still thought you'd come back and everything would be okay. Then, it hit me that you weren't and I finally got mad. And I mean _really_ mad, Tommy. You'll see that in the next song. But now that you _are_ here, another volcano in the 'Saga of Tommy and Jude' has erupted and it's gonna start to rapidly terrorize everything around it, I think."

"But haven't the volcanoes of our story left not such bad things in their wake?" he replied. "I mean, we've had some good times, bad times, and very ugly times, but we've usually worked things out. What's once more?" He made a move towards her, forcing her to stumble back into the dresser. "I know we _both_ want to."

Jude ducked underneath him and climbed into bed. "Actually, I'm pretty wiped out, and it's late, so maybe you should go?"

Tommy sighed and banged his head against the wall. "If that's really what you want, fine." He opened the door and got into the hallway.

"Tommy?" she called out timidly. "It's not."

"I didn't think so," he smirked, closing her bedroom door behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So this chapter has the introduction of Nic Quincy, a character I created for this story but carried over into the sequels and she's definitely my favorite. I hope you enjoy the character as much as I do.**

The next morning, Jude woke up groggily, her back burning like concrete in 100-degree weather. She went to get out of bed but an arm around her kept that from happening. Tommy.

"Don't," he groaned. "Let's just sleep all day."

"Aww, did I tire you out that much, Quince?" she joked, turning over to face him. "I'm feeling pretty awake myself."

He wriggled his eyebrows. "Oh, really? Want another go?"

"Can you hold that thought until later?" she whined. "It's 8:30 and we've gotta be at G-Major by 9:30." With that, she climbed out of bed, looked down at her naked body, and sauntered off to her bathroom, giving him a nice view of her backside.

"Good morning, children," Kwest said cheerfully when Jude and Tommy stumbled into the studio 45 minutes later. "Long night?"

"You could say that," Tommy replied vaguely as Jude walked off to find Spiederman, Wally, and Kyle.

Kwest made a face. "Man, tell me you didn't?"

"Have I ever lied to you, Kwest?" Tommy smiled, looking down at what he'd taken from his mailbox. "No, and I don't plan on starting now."

"You're fighting fire with gasoline," Kwest muttered, walking into studio A. "Now, come on. We've got Mason in here for an hour while Jude talks clothes for God knows what with Portia." He pushed Tommy into the studio, slamming the door behind him.

Jude was sitting on a couch in the lobby when the front doors opened and a gorgeous girl in ripped jeans and an expensive-looking silk tunic walked into G-Major. She pulled off her black, oversized sunglasses and looked around.

"Can I help you?" Julia, Sadie's replacement, asked her politely.

"Uhh, I guess so," the girl shrugged. "I'm looking for Tom Quincy?"

"He's working," Jude explained, warily eyeing her. "Should I tell him you stopped by?"

"I can wait," the girl replied, sitting in the chair opposite Jude.

Jude nodded. "So, how do you know Tommy?"

"Close, personal relations," the brunette answered.

"Oh, so you like him?" Jude guessed, feeling her blood boil at the thought.

The girl smirked. "There are three reasons I could _never_ think of Tommy that way, kid. First, he's my brother, so that's illegal. Second, he's really not as hot as he, and every other girl, thinks. And finally, and probably most importantly-,"

"More important than being his sister?" Jude asked in amazement. "This must be huge."

"And finally," the girl continued, "I'm not Jude Harrison." She scoffed slightly as Jude's expression. "But based on your reaction, and what I've seen and read, I know that you are."

"I didn't know Tommy had one sister, let alone two," Jude whispered.

"Two?" the girl repeated. "It's just me."

Jude looked at her shoes nervously. "Well, yeah, I guess since Nicole died..."

"What? He told you that Nicole _died_? That's a little funny since _I'm_ Nicole," she said in confusion. "I haven't gone by that since I was eleven, so you can just call me Nic."

"No, Tommy said you died a year ago of ovarian cancer and that's why he had to take care of Sophia," Jude stated, her mind racing.

"Ovarian cancer?" Nic complained. "Man, if he was lying about my death, he could've made it cooler."

"How old are you?" Jude suddenly blurted out. "You look young."

"I consider 21 young," Nic responded. "Why?"

"So you were only 16 when you had Sophie?" Jude went on.

Nic got serious. "What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you Sophie's mom?" Jude was reeling, feeling very dizzy. "Why did you give him guardianship?"

"I need you to tell me something, Jude," Nic said, moving to sit next to Jude, staring at her intently. "Is Tommy taking drugs again? I mean, I always thought it was a one time thing, but I don't know?"

"I don't think so," Jude stammered.

Nic breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. And if I were Sophie's mother, our catatonic mother, who is institutionalized, would awaken from her coma to kill me; on that note, our dead father would rise from the grave to help."

"If you're not Sophie's mom, who is?" Jude wondered, leaning against the couch. Side effects of the sunburn were kicking in as she grew very weak.

"One of Tommy's past flings," Nic sighed.

Jude stood up. "Wait, are you telling me that Tommy really _is_ her dad?"

"Took you a bit but you got there," Nic nodded as the door to studio A opened and Tommy emerged. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my darling older brother."

"Nic," he breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone had to bring Sophie home," she replied coolly. "Allen and Lydia couldn't do it, and even though I said I'd watch the Dixie Chicks voluntarily, I like the kid, so I obliged."

Tommy wasn't listening anymore, as he was too busy watching Jude storm out of the studio's doors. "What did you say to her, Nicole?"

"Ooh, I must be in trouble if you're calling me that," she noted. "I didn't tell her anything I didn't think she'd already known, but apparently, I did." She paused and made a face. "Ovarian cancer, Tommy? Really, you make me sound old. Why couldn't I have been bungee jumping or climbing Mt. Everest or something cool?"

He whipped around to face her. "Tell me you _did not_ tell her Sophia is my daughter?" he pleaded. "Please, Nic, tell me that."

"How was I supposed to know you told her she was mine and I was dead?" she shrugged nervously, his face darkening every second. "It's not like you and I keep in touch or anything."

"Jesus, Nic!" he yelled, causing the rest of the staff to stare at them. "Had to open your big mouth, didn't you?"

"Don't blame me here, Thomas!" she yelled back at him, getting in his face. "I'm not the _idiot_ who told her that Sophie was your niece and I'm not one of the people, like I'm sure Kwest and Darius and Portia were, who went along with it."

"Do I hear Nicole Quincy out here?" Darius asked, breaking up the familial argument, coming from his office. "And she's all grown up."

Tommy glared at him. "Not now, D. Nic and I have some things to settle before she catches up with anyone else." He grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her out to his Viper, shoving her in and speeding off the his apartment. "Is Sophie here with the nanny?"

"No, I left her at the airport," she replied sarcastically. "Yes, stupid, she's with the nanny."

He pulled expertly into a spot and dragged her to the elevator, pressing the Penthouse 2 button to go up. While Jude's large apartment was on the same floor, it was only one level, while his was two. Once in the hallway, he stared at Jude's door mournfully and led Nic to his door, unlocking it and shoving her inside.

"Daddy!" Sophia squealed, running down the stairs from the entertainment room to meet him.

"Hi, sweetie," he murmured, swinging down to pick her up. "How was your trip?"

"Fun!" she cried. "But I'm glad I'm back."

"Me, too," he nodded, setting her down. "Why don't you go put in a movie and I'll be up soon, okay?"

She agreed and ran off, hurrying back upstairs.

"She's a good kid, Tommy," Nic said quietly. "Why didn't you just tell Jude?"

"I didn't want to scare her away," he admitted, sitting down on his couch. "I mean, her expression at hearing she was my niece was bad enough and I was afraid that if I told her the truth that she wouldn't let me get close to her again cause she wasn't ready for that."

"Well, for a girl of 18, based on what I've read and what you've told me, she seems pretty mature," Nic pointed out. "I mean, she dealt with those pictures pretty well." She pulled the newest issue of _Rolling Stone_ from her bag. "And she doesn't seem to hate you."

"After today, if she ever even looks at me again, I'd kiss the ground beneath her feet," he mumbled, leaning back in defeat.

"Dude, let me in!" Spiederman yelled, banging on Jude's door later that afternoon. "It's out! The magazine is out and my name is forever emblazoned in it!"

"Awesome," she said dryly, cracking the door open to let him in. "I'm glad you like it, Spied."

He looked around her apartment in shock. It was a mess! "Dude, what happened in here?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," she replied, storming off to her bedroom before yanking her sheets off her bed.

"Oh, my God, are you really gonna wash your sheets?" he asked incredulously. "I thought only moms did that."

She stiffened. "If you knew why I was doing it, you'd understand."

Spiederman followed her back to the living room after she threw the linen into the washing machine. "Jude, what happened? You seemed so happy over this weekend."

"Spied," she whispered, sitting timidly on her couch. How could she tell her favorite ex-boyfriend and one of her closest friends that she'd slept with Tommy and woke up to find out his niece was really his daughter? "Look, I haven't talked to anyone about this yet, but yesterday, I was still really burnt and in pain. Well, Tommy, uhh, stopped by to see how I was and then he just stayed. Umm, during the course of the day, we kind of kissed, a lot, and he stayed the night."

"You and Tommy Q, huh?" he teased, nudging her as he sat down next to her. "It's about time."

She sighed. "Well, yeah, and this morning, we rode to the studio together. Anyways, he and Kwest were working with Mason when this gorgeous brunette comes in, saying she's his only sister, Nic. She looked so young, 21 to be exact, and when I asked her how she could give Tommy guardianship of her daughter, she got very serious."

"She told you, didn't she?" he cut in. "Told you that Tommy's Sophie's dad?"

"You knew?" she exclaimed. "Oh, my God, did everyone know?"

He nodded nervously. "Uhh, yeah. See, he'd told Darius and Kwest, who spread it around, and when he told Sadie that he'd told you she was his niece, she agreed to go along and told everyone else to do so, as well. I guess that memo just never made it to his sister."

Jude started slapping his chest furiously, choking on her sobs. He just let her do it before he stopped her and pulled her into a tight hug. "I hate him," she sobbed. "And I hate myself even more for letting him back in. How could I have been so stupid, Spied?"

"Hey, stop," he whispered into her hair. "You are so not stupid, Harrison. I know that I had promised to pull you out before anything bad happened, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I mean, after watching you mourn for a year, seeing you with him again kind of made everybody nostalgic for you two to get back what you once had."

"Why couldn't he just tell me?" she whimpered, leaning against his chest. "If I was so important to him, why did he still lie?"

"To protect you," Tommy said from behind them.

Jude didn't flinch or even move. "Make him leave," she whispered in Spiederman's ear. "I absolutely don't want to see him."

"Man, you should go," Spiederman told him wisely. "This is a really bad time."

"Jude," Tommy said in desperation. "I have to explain."

"I think you really ought to go," Spiederman said again, nodding at the door. "You can show yourself out."

Jude heard him sigh and a minute later, the door slammed. "How can I ever speak to him again, Spied, let alone trust him? I mean, last night, everything that had happened flew out the window and a tornado has just sent it all back in."

"It'll be okay," he assured her. "I have a feeling everyone will be trying their hardest to keep you from him now, anyways."


	13. Chapter 13

The following morning, after falling asleep at 4:30 and never waking up, Jude made her way to G-Major and pounded on the door to Darius' office before letting herself in, much to his chagrin.

"Jude, what's going on?" he asked, hanging up his phone. "I heard about the thing with Tommy and Nic yesterday. Are you okay?"

"I will be after a trip," she nodded, sitting down. "I want you to get Portia to set me up some stuff in New York for a bit." She paused to let it sink into his head. "And if you don't, I'll stop coming in."

He sighed. "Why New York, Jude? Why not Montreal or Vancouver? What's in New York?"

"Other than _TRL _and _CD USA_?" she asked. "Shay and Kat."

"Shay?" he repeated. "I didn't think you even talked to him anymore."

"Well, I do, so I wanna go visit," she stammered. "Please, Darius? After everything that transpired yesterday, I really need to get away."

"For how long?" he finally asked.

"A month." She knew he would protest that, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. "I know that's a lot, but I just need it."

He nodded mutely. "I guess I can do that. I'll talk with Portia and make the arrangements for tomorrow morning."

"Thanks," Jude breathed, leaving the office, only to come face-to-face with Kwest and Sadie. "Oh, look it's the backstabbing newlyweds, everybody." She pushed past them, only to have Sadie grab her wrist. "Let go, Sadie."

"Where are you going?" Sadie demanded. "You have an album to do, Jude."

"It's been put on hold, again," Jude reported. "I'm going home to pack."

"For what?" Kwest asked.

Jude stamped her foot impatiently. "I leave for a month-long trip to New York tomorrow morning."

"New York?" Sadie said. "Why?"

Skipping the TV shows, Jude cut to the chase. "To see Shay."

"Really?" Sadie laughed. "You're going to see the dumbest guy you've ever known?"

Jude glanced in the direction of Tommy, who was talking to Liam. "Not the dumbest. And Kwest, you're making a close run for the third." She turned away from them and marched back to her Mustang.

"Tommy!" Sadie roared. "Get over here, now!"

"What?" he asked, joining the two of them. "Please don't ask about yesterday cause I'm trying very hard to erase it from my memory."

"Well, if seeing her makes it worse, you won't have to worry about that for four weeks," Kwest reported. "Seems Jude is going to visit Shay in Manhattan."

Tommy's face paled. "She's going where to do what?"

Sadie nodded sadly. "And I don't think there's anything we can do to stop her, Tom."

"When does she leave?" he asked furiously.

"Tomorrow morning," Sadie whispered, almost inaudibly. "Don't do anything stupid, Tom; it'll only make everything worse."

He pushed past them and ran to the apartment. He knew he'd left the Range Rover behind but he didn't care. Running helped calm him down so he wouldn't blow up at her when he got to her.

The apartment was, surprisingly, unlocked, so he let himself in and heard her moving about in her bedroom. Her bedroom. The place where all the problems between them had dissipated between the sheets.

"If you come back here, there's a slight chance I'll shoot you," she told him before he could step into the hallway. "And I do own a pellet gun; Spiederman forced me to buy it on the first tour. While that may not sound bad, I'm sure it would hurt when it pelts you in the face."

"How did you know it was me?" he asked quietly. "Sixth sense?"

"Yeah, let's make jokes right now," she snapped bitterly. "That's bound to make everything better, Tom."

"Jude," he muttered, stepping into the door frame, unafraid of the danger she'd threatened. "Talk to me."

"I _did _talk to you," she replied coolly. "And the entire time I thought you were talking back, you lied."

Timidly, he moved closer to her. "You have to understand my situation."

She walked to her closet and pulled things off of hangers rapidly. "You, you, you! Everything is always about you, Tommy!" She threw the clothes into her suitcase and sat on her bed. "Why? Why did you lie to me _again_?"

"Like I said, I had to protect you," he started. "If you could've seen your face when I told you that she was my niece, even you would've lied. If she'd been my daughter, would you have gotten as close to me again? Honestly?"

She stood and walked onto her balcony. "That's not the point!" she roared. "Every time I get _this close_ to fully trusting you, you lie to _protect_ me. That's ridiculous! I'm tired and fed up with that crap."

"Jude, please don't do this!" he begged. "If you go now, I'm afraid I'll never see you again."

"You should've thought of that before unloading a truckload of lies then," she mumbled furiously. "I'm leaving in the morning _and I'm not sure I'll be coming back_."

"Jude, I love you!" he yelled as fireworks went off in the distance. "God, I don't know why I've never told you that before, but I've loved you since you were 15!"

The words hit her like a freight train. "A million times," she whispered. "I've imagined you saying that _a million times_ to me and you wanna know what I have to say back?"

"What?" he asked desperately. "Tell me, girl."

"It's too late," she sighed tiredly, walking back into her bedroom. "Just go, Tommy. Leave me alone."

Dejectedly, he left her apartment, went to his own, and locked himself in his room.

The next morning, Jude dragged her luggage to the lobby, waving at the doorman who helped her load it into a taxi.

"Jude!" she heard Tommy yelling after her. "Jude, don't go!"

She didn't turn to look at him; she just climbed into the cab, breathing a sigh of relief as the driver sped towards the airport. It was Tom Quincy's turn to feel like his entire life had just crumbled before him.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I lied; I'm updating again today but it's late so it's practically tomorrow. lol. Once again, I love my reviewers.**

"I never thought you to be one to lie," a smooth voice said behind Jude as she found her bags in the luggage claim at JFK in New York. "And to Darius Mills? Bravo, kid."

"Shay," Jude grinned, turning around to face him. "I guess Darius can read through lies."

"After practically raising me, what do you think?" Shay smirked. "Now, why did you tell him you and I still talk? We haven't talked in two years."

She sighed. "Do we have to talk about this right now? I need to find a hotel."

"Please," he scoffed, feigning a look of hurt. "I live in a huge loft in the Village, Darius didn't set you up anywhere, and he'd kill me if I didn't offer you a room at my place."

"I'm gonna be here about a month," she explained. "Does that bother you? How will your women feel?"

"Hey, they got places, too," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Now, come on. I've gotta stop by my studio before we head back home." He picked up one of her bags and led her out.

New York. Jude had only really seen it in pictures and on _Friends_ re-runs, but it was already growing on her. She'd done _TRL_, but for that, she flew in and flew right back out. The fast pace, the unique people, and the diversity called to her. Toronto was nice, but boring. New York City was a world completely all it's own.

"It's different, isn't it?" he asked, leading her to his chauffeur-driven limo. "Well, Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore."

"I see that," she breathed, smiling at all the lights and sounds. "It makes Toronto look like a horse and buggy town."

"I guess," he muttered, typing on his Sidekick. "So, what caused the runaway?"

"Hurricane Tommy," she answered sullenly. "And I'm not ready to talk about it, so, don't go there."

Shay, like everyone else who knew her, knew to stop prying, so he settled into his seat and turned on the radio. 'White Lines' played through. "This was a good song, even if _you_ wrote it."

She leaned over him and turned it off. "I don't like it."

"Well, never in a million years did I expect to hear Jude Harrison admit to not liking one of her own songs," he chuckled. "Why not? If I think it's good, it must be."

"You don't know anything about it," she growled. "You don't know how I felt when I wrote it, or how I felt when I recorded it, or how I felt when I watched Tommy speed away in the night last year. There's a lot to the story, Shay."

"I'll take your word for it," he nodded as the limo pulled up in front of a swanky studio. "So, do you wanna come in? It shouldn't take more than five minutes, but I'm not making any promises."

Jude followed him inside and gasped at the equipment. It made G-Major, which she'd always thought of as nice, look like a crummy booth in someone's basement. And not only that, but Shay spent his days surrounded by people like Kanye West and Jay-Z.

"I can't believe this," she admitted, looking around. "This is amazing."

"Better than that piece of crap Darius owns," he pointed out, nodding at a guy in a recording booth. "That's J. Busy; I guarantee he'll be huge this time next year."

Jude shrugged. "I don't listen to rap but I'm sure he will."

"You liked it once upon a time," he mused.

"No," she corrected. "I liked a _rapper_, not rap itself."

Shay rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Okay, I'm gonna go pick up a demo from my producer, so you can wait here." He sat her in a plush chair and walked off.

Just as she settled down, her cell phone rang. She sighed at the number and opened it. "Hello?"

"So, you made it?" Sadie asked worriedly. "Darius called me, Kwest, and Tommy into his office today to tell us he'd talked to Shay and that you were gonna be okay. Are you?"

"I'm fine," Jude assured her through gritted teeth. "Sadie, can you just let me be independent for once? I'll be alright and I'll call you once I've cooled down some."

There was silence on Sadie's end. "Umm, there's someone who wants to talk to you."

"No," Jude growled. "If you put him on the phone, I won't call you at all."

"Dude, what is up?" Spiederman's voice came through. "You got one song recorded and up and left? You're lucky we're getting somewhere on the solo album or we'd all officially hate you."

Even though Spiederman had known about Sophie, Jude couldn't be mad at him. Plus, it felt nice to hear his voice. "I'm only gone for a few weeks and when I get back, I'll get into a studio with Kwest to do some work."

"Kwest?" Spiederman repeated. "You just got back with Tommy and you're ditching him already?"

"Spied," she warned. "Think about that statement and then retract it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he laughed quietly. "Well, don't hesitate to call, day or night, and we'll miss you, dude." He hung up and handed the phone back to Sadie.

Tommy stood against a wall, watching as Sadie shook her head at Kwest before leaving the studio. He knew she wouldn't talk to him, no matter what he did and that was far worse than her screaming in his face.

"She'll cool off," Nic said, approaching him from his left. She was leaving the next day and wanted to spend time around the few people she knew in Toronto. "If I know anything, it's being scorned and she'll get over it, I promise."

"Nic, not now," he murmured. "I just need to be alone for a while."

"Well, you don't have that option anymore," she pointed out. "You've got a five-year-old who depends on you now, bro. Sophia can't take care of herself and while Maria is the nanny, she's not her mother." She gave him a very pointed look and walked off to find Portia.

Jude found herself amazed once again as she walked through Shay's loft. It was three stories, had fourteen rooms, and great views. "How much does this set you back a month?"

"Enough," he replied, falling onto his couch. "So, if I'm housing you for a month, I want the whole story and you can't refuse."

"Fine," she agreed, sitting down on a chair across from him. "Well, as even you know, Tommy left at the beginning of summer last year. What you probably don't know is that he left on the night of our first real date. I spent most of the year waiting for him to come home, or even to hear from him, but neither happened. Then, I got mad and hated him. Umm, last week, Sadie married Kwest and he came back for the wedding with a gorgeous little girl, Sophie, in tow, saying she was his niece that his dead sister had left in his care. All last week, I let myself open up to him again only for his _not_ dead sister to waltz into G-Major two days ago, telling me that Sophie was really Tommy's daughter. So, he'd lied to me again and I couldn't deal with that."

"Where do I come in?" he asked. "I mean, I asked you to tour with me, you said no, and now here you are, sleeping in my guest room."

Jude sighed. "I needed to get away, I knew you were in New York and I just lied."

"I don't believe you," he said simply. "You came to a place where you knew Tommy knew, hoping he'd come after you."

"Wrong!" she fumed. "I came to the place where I could be on my own and maybe find Kat."

"Oh, your friend?" he guessed. "I've run into her a couple of times."

"Do you know where she's living?" she asked. "I'd love to see her."

He sighed. "Uhh, I've seen her go into a building on Lexington a couple of times, so maybe there? Now, how close did you get with Tommy this last week? I mean, it must've been pretty intimate if you went running scared."

"Shay," she said pointedly. "Don't."

"Hey, if you want that room, I want details," he stated plainly. "Not _details_ details, but just to know what happened."

She sighed quietly. "I slept with him, okay? Are you happy now?"

"I always knew you would," he mused, closing his eyes. "First time?"

"God, you're a pig," she scoffed. "Yes, first time. Can we stop discussing my personal life now? It's a little awkward with you."

"Alright," he nodded in agreement. "Well, you can have the room that's the second door on the right on the third floor."

"Thanks," she mumbled, picking up her stuff and taking it upstairs.

Her room was a light green color with a double bed in one corner, a dresser in another, and a hanging plasma TV across from the bed. It wasn't as homey as her own bedroom, but it was nicer than a stuffy hotel. She unpacked her clothes and turned her cell phone back on. She'd turned it off after hanging up with Spiederman, afraid of getting calls she wasn't ready for. And there it was.

_"Jude, I know you don't want to hear from me, so maybe it's better I'm leaving a message_,_"_ Tommy's tired voice came through. _"I'm just gonna let you do what you gotta do, I guess. Call me if you want to, but if you don't, I won't hold it against you."_ Pause. _"I love you, Jude Harrison, and that's not changing."_

She listened to it twice before deleting it. Hearing that hurt her heart all over again and it was too much. She fell against the pillows of the bed and started to cry.

"Hey, Jude, are you hungry?" Shay asked, letting himself into the room. Her saw her tears. "Hey, are you alright?"

"No," she said honestly. "He left me a message and told me he loves me, Shay. Why couldn't he have just told me about Sophie if he loved me so much?"

"Well, guys like Tommy, and I know a lot of them, aren't exactly the most revealing people," he explained sympathetically. "Maybe he was just trying to protect a kid from a kid."

"Would you all stop worrying about protecting me?" she yelled. "I am 18, an adult, and can take care of myself, so just let me, okay?"

"Hey, I didn't do anything here, Jude, so don't yell at me," he told her sternly. "Why don't you just go to bed and I'll take you to Kat's building in the morning."

Jude rolled over to face the wall. "Fine."

Jude woke up to the sound of Shay talking on his cell phone. She changed out of her previous day's clothes into a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt before making her way to the staircase.

"Darius, the girl is all over the place," she heard him saying. "One minute, she's acting like everything is fine and whatever, and suddenly, she's crying, saying the guy broke her heart." He stopped and Jude assumed Darius was talking. "Well, she's not coming home yet, that much I know. She's got a friend in Manhattan and I'm taking her to find her today." Another bout of silence. "Well, Tommy's an idiot, so if you send him after her, you may never get Jude back." Darius obviously cut him off a lot. "Fine. Well, I'll call you with an update later." He hung up.

"Talking about me behind my back?" she teased from her spot on the stairs, causing him to jump. "What did Caesar want?"

"To know how you were, when you were coming home, and whether he should send Tommy to get you," he answered. "And you heard my responses, so now you know."

"Why would he even suggest sending Tommy?" she scoffed, helping herself to a bagel in the kitchen. "I'd rather him send my moronic step-dad, Don Juan."

Shay smiled. "There's the Jude I know and once loved."

"Except, you never loved me, Shay," she pointed out. "You loved the publicity, just like Darius. And then you loved dumping me for Eden."

He shuddered at her name. "That was a mistake from the get-go. Sadly, after all this time, she still calls me, asking to hang out."

"Doesn't she have manicures to get done and makeup to buy?" Jude joked, pouring a glass of orange juice. "Look, I really appreciate you letting me stay here, Shay, but if I get to be a hassle, I can get a hotel."

He shrugged. "Nah, it's cool. I get lonely sometimes and I like having you around; somehow you have a way of keeping me grounded."

"Someone's got to keep that big head of yours humble," she grinned, looking at a wall clock. "Okay, so it's 10:45 now. Can you take me to Kat?"

"Yeah," he agreed, putting his phone in his pocket. "Do you wanna take a cab or should I call for a Town Car?"

"Cab," she answered. "I'm not much for all that glamourous stuff."

The ride to Lexington Avenue was fairly quiet except for the driver who would randomly yell at pedestrians in Japanese. Kat's building was pretty nice with a doorman and ivy covering the exterior.

"Hi, I'm looking for Kat Benton?" Jude asked the doorman politely. "She's an old friend of mine."

"Let me see what I can do," he replied, stepping up to the call box. "Miss Benton, you've got a friend down here looking for you." He turned back to Jude. "Your name?"

"Oh, Jude Harrison," she told him.

"It's a Miss Jude Harrison," he added to Kat. Jude heard a muffled voice reply. "You may go up."

Jude looked to Shay. "Thanks. I can find my way back later."

"Alright," he said, driving away in the taxi.

The doorman opened the door for Jude and told her to take the elevator to the ninth floor and that Kat lived in 9G.

"Check you out," Kat grinned, opening the door before Jude could knock moments later. "All grown up and jaded?"

"That's me," Jude chuckled sheepishly, following Kat inside. "This is a great place."

"Well, I'm working at Prada now, so they pay for it," Kat explained, settling onto her couch. "What in God's name brings you to New York City?"

Jude sighed and sat next to her. "Remember when you said we couldn't be friends if every time I was happy, you wanted to wreck it?" Kat nodded and Jude continued. "Well, we can go back to being best friends again cause I'm miserable."

"What happened?" Kat asked, pulling her phone off the hook. "I took a sick day and work keeps calling."

"Alright, well, around this time last year, Tommy left abruptly on the night of my album release," Jude started, getting tired of telling the story. "It was also the night of our first official date, so if you can't imagine, it left me reeling. I went crazy, had those pictures taken, they went to tabloids, and I had to do a lot of damage control. Well, just recently, Sadie married Kwest and Tommy came back to town to be the best man with this little girl, Sophie, in tow who he explained as his niece, saying his younger sister, Nicole, her mother, had died of ovarian cancer. Umm, I stupidly let him back in and I slept with him and whatever, only for everything to blow up in my face. Monday, he's in the studio with Kwest and Mason while I'm in the lobby when this gorgeous brunette waltzes into G-Major, claiming to be his sister, Nic. She tells me she's his only sister, she's definitely not Sophie's mom, and Tommy is really her father. Obviously, he'd lied to me again and I just bolted. I'm now staying in the Village with Shay of all people, and he said he'd seen you come here a few times, so here I am."

Kat hugged her. "Jude, I'm so sorry. Even for how mad I was at you, I would've never wished that on you at all. Plus, I'm pretty serious with this guy, Damon, who is the anti-Jamie." Kat and Jude had fallen out the previous year over Jamie, whom Kat had dated before he'd dumped her for Jude, whom he'd been in love with since diapers. "So, have you talked to Tommy at all?"

"We got into a huge fight before I left," Jude reported. "He finally told me that he loved me and I didn't want to hear it."

"Do you think he meant it?" Kat wondered aloud. "I mean, do you think he said it to get you to stay?"

Jude shrugged. "Not sure. He said he's loved me since I was 15, but if that's the case, why all the secrecy?"

"I don't know," Kat answered. "Sounds like things between you and Tommy are as hot and complicated as ever."

"That they are," Jude agreed sadly. "It's like, I want him so bad and yet, I can't take his stupid crap anymore. I give an inch and he takes a mile."

"Men," Kat muttered. "Can't live with 'em, can't write good songs without 'em."

"Yeah, my music is down the drain," Jude half laughed, half whimpered. "I have these two songs, both about him, and I just cringe when I think about them now."

"Well, maybe everything will all work out in the end?" Kat said semi-hopefully. "Maybe Tommy will do something totally heroic and sweep you off your feet?"

"And maybe Sadie will dye her hair red and start listening to Nirvana instead of Madonna?" Jude joked. "It's never gonna happen, Kat. Like everyone says, as long as he's Tommy and I'm Jude, there are gonna be obstacles we can't fight."

"So, have you talked to Jude lately?" Tommy asked Sadie a few weeks later as they sat in the lobby of the studio, waiting on Kwest to go out to dinner. "Darius said Shay said she seems to be on a teeter-totter of emotions still."

"She's coming home tomorrow," Sadie whispered. "Are you gonna tell her?" she asked warily.

"How?" he asked. "She already hates me and it'll just be fuel to the flames."

Sadie sighed and stood up. "Don't keep doing this, Tommy; is it really worth all the trouble?"

"I don't know," he replied quietly. "I really don't know."

Jude and Shay sat around his living room on her last night, eating pizza and talking about their times together.

"God, remember dragging me to your stupid dance?" he grinned. "That was such a nightmare."

"Hey, you said you liked it!" she cried.

He made a face. "I also said I liked tacos afterwards but I lied." He got serious for a minute. "What are you gonna do about Tommy, Jude? You're most likely gonna see him tomorrow."

"I don't know," she said nervously.

"If you want my advice, which you know is good, here it is: just suck it up and tell him you love him," he enunciated plainly. "I mean, every time something outrageous has happened in your life, he's pretty much been the prime reason, other than your parents divorce. I mean, all your break-ups, the reasons your albums are so good, your change in attitude; that's all his doing. Now, you say you're an adult and if that's the case, you wouldn't be running scared all the time, Jude. Part of growing up is being able to face things. And, if you love him like you always have, you guys can face it together."

"I swear that all the guys I know are drinking some special water," Jude rolled her eyes. "You're all so suddenly profound and whatnot."

"I've always been profound, but the rapper stereotype doesn't call for it," he told her.

Later that night, while laying in her bed, Jude thought about what Shay had told her. _"Every time something outrageous has happened, it's been his doing_._"_ He was right; everyone was right. She _did_ love Tommy and this really wasn't worth losing him over. So he'd lied; she couldn't count the number of times she'd lied in her life. Why punish him for a mistake every human being made?


	15. Chapter 15

"Hello, sunshine," Sadie smiled when Jude met her at security the next afternoon. "You look lovely."

"Thanks," she muttered, looking down at her sweat pants and hoodie. "I wasn't feeling too hot this morning when I woke up; stomach hurts a little bit."

"Well, it's good to have you back," Sadie admitted, hugging her tightly. "A lot of weird stuff has happened."

"Like what?" Jude asked, walking to find her suitcases. "Liam got nicer?"

"I said 'weird,' Jude, not 'awesome,'" Sadie joked, helping her with her bags. "I don't know really, just weird."

The walk to Sadie's Volkswagen was quiet and as soon as they were settled in, Jude turned to her sister. "I'm in love with him."

"Who, Shay?" Sadie asked incredulously. "Jude?"

"No, you idiot, Tommy," Jude corrected. "I don't care if Sophie is his daughter, his niece, or his second wife, I don't care. Whatever or whoever she is, I have to make things work between us because if I don't, I'll regret it the rest of my life."

Sadie smiled nervously. "It's good you finally realized that, Jude. I know it's hard for you to do this, but it's good."

"I hope so," Jude sighed, looking out the window at her hometown. "It's good to be back."

After Sadie helped Jude into her apartment, she listened to her messages, looked through her mail, and checked her e-mail. Most of it was from Liam and Darius, talking about studio stuff and budget crap she didn't care for. Spiederman, Wally, and Kyle had sent her gag e-mails and Jamie had left her nice messages. Nothing from Tommy. She wasn't surprised though, really. After his first call on her first night in New York, she hadn't heard from him since, just the occasional call from Sadie, Spiederman, and Darius. She'd spent a lot of time with Kat, trying to mend their broken friendship, and the rest of her time hanging out with Shay, patching up their friendship, too.

"Jude," she heard Tommy's scruffy voice when she walked onto her balcony that night. "You're back." He was sitting on Sophie's balcony, a Red Bull in his hand.

"Yeah," she replied. "Got in this afternoon." She stepped to the railing. "Do you, uhh, have time to talk? I could come there or whatever."

He looked to the door. "I always have time to talk to you, Jude. Umm, I can come over. Sophia will be fine."

As he stood up to walk inside to meet her, a female figure with dark hair came to him. "Tom, dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes and Sophie is still sleeping. Should I wake her to wash up?"

"Uhh, no, let her go," he answered slowly. "I'm gonna go talk to a neighbor for a minute and I'll be back."

"Alright," she agreed, kissing him softly. "Just be back in 20 minutes."

When he looked down to confirm that Jude would wait, she'd disappeared. Instead, he walked through his apartment and knocked lightly on her door.

"It's open!" she called out. "Come on in."

"How was New York?" he asked timidly, sitting at the bar, watching her make a sandwich. "Shay still as arrogant and egotistical as ever?"

"Not really," she replied evenly, trying not to let emotion get the best of her. "I think working with some of the big names he works with has sort of humbled him a lot; I had a good time."

"Good," he nodded, noticing the edge to her voice. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Her heart dropped to her stomach. She'd been planning on telling him how she felt, that she didn't care about his past anymore, and that she wanted to be with him. Now, after seeing the girl, she just wanted to curl up in her bed and fall into a black hole. "Umm, I just wanted to let you know that if Spied told you I wanted to work with Kwest, I don't. I mean, I'm not gonna ask to take you off the album."

"That's great," he said. "I'm glad you feel that way, girl."

"And I want you to know that I'm over everything," she went on numbly. "Your past is your past and I can't change it or hold it against you; I didn't know you back then."

"Yeah," he mumbled. "So, will I see you in the morning then?"

"Sure," she said calmly. "9:00 sharp, right?"

"Like clockwork," he laughed, walking to her door. "I'm really glad you're back, Jude. I missed you."

Jude woke up and sat in bed, trying to think of ways to keep from going to G-Major. Before she could plan anything good, a rumble in her stomach forced her to run to the bathroom to throw up.

"Jude?" Sadie called out. "Where are you?"

"Bathroom!" Jude called back weakly. "It's not very pretty."

Sadie appeared at the door. "What's wrong? Still got that bug?"

"Don't bugs only last like, 24 hours?" Jude wondered, wiping her mouth with a handful of toilet paper. "I've been like this for a week."

"What?" Sadie whispered. Her hand went to her face. "You've been getting sick every morning for a week?"

"Uh-huh," Jude nodded, flushing the toilet. "No big deal, right?"

"Uh, Jude, before you left, you slept with Tom, didn't you?" Sadie remembered. "Do you think you could be pregnant?"

Jude shook her head furiously. "There's no way. We used protection."

"Well, protection isn't 100," Sadie pointed out. "Oh, my God, I may be an aunt before you are."

"Don't say that," Jude groaned. "There's no way this can be happening to me, Sadie. I mean, I'm not even 19 yet."

"Well, on the way to the studio, we'll stop and get you a pregnancy test and you can take it there in Darius' private bathroom," Sadie suggested. "Now get dressed and meet me out here in five minutes."

Half an hour later, Jude sat on the toilet in Darius' personal bathroom, terrified of the little applicator on the sink. She'd made Sadie come in with her and tell her the results. "Okay, one line is no, two is yes."

"Alright," Sadie breathed, leaning over to look at it. Her face lit up. "If it's a girl, will you name it something pretty?"

"Sadie," Jude whimpered, starting to cry. "What am I going to do? I'm still a kid, Dad is gonna kill me, and Tommy and I are barely on speaking terms. Oh, and who is that girl cooking him dinner?"

"Right," Sadie nodded. "That would be Carly Anthony, one of Liam's friends. He's been sorta seeing her for a few weeks, I guess."

"Huh," Jude sighed. "So much for not changing the fact that he loves me then, right? At least, that's what he said on the message he left me."

"Do you think that it's serious between them?" Sadie scoffed. "Her name doesn't fit with his last name, so you know he'd never go that next step. Your name, on the other hand, rolls off the tongue with Quincy, so you're set."

A knock on the door caused them both to jump. "Hey, Jude, you done in there?" It was Darius.

Jude hurriedly wrapped the test in toilet paper and stuffed it at the bottom of his garbage can. She opened the door. "All yours, D, thanks."

"So, are you gonna tell Tommy?" Sadie asked quietly as the two girl sat on the couch in the lobby. "He's just finishing up with Mason and Kwest in studio C."

"What would I say?" Jude asked. "'Hey, Tommy, I know that I ran away when I found out you had a kid, but guess what? Now we're having one together!' I don't think that's gonna work, Sade."

"Jude, you can only hide it for so long," Sadie warned. "Unless you wanna be just as bad as him and lie about some guy in Manhattan, he's gonna catch on."

Studio C's door opened and he walked out with Kwest and Mason. "I'll tell him this afternoon, alright? Just make sure you can keep Kwest away from us for a bit."

Sadie agreed and hurried off to talk with her husband while Jude made her way to studio A, only to find Jamie and Patsy making out in the mixing booth.

"Well, I see I've found the Welcoming Committee," she joked. "How's it going, guys?"

Jamie pulled away and hugged her. "Jude, I'm go happy you're back! I've had to entertain Spiederman and the guys while you were gone and they never stop."

"Yeah, I'm trying to stay away from them as long as possible," Jude admitted as Tommy walked in. "I guess you guys should go. I'll call you later and we can get together with the boys to do something. Until then, tell them I'm stuck somewhere before flying in." She smiled as her friends left, leaving her with Tommy alone. "So, since '100 Ways' is done, do you wanna start 'Never Again?' It's finally ready to go."

"Alright," he agreed. "How do you wanna do it? '100 Ways' was a full set, so it gave the band something to do, but we could go acoustic?"

She shrugged. "It fits, I guess," she said, walking into the recording booth. She put on her headphones as he got himself ready. "You ready to do this?"

"Let's not go there," he smirked.

Jude spent the next two hours locked in the room with only him, pouring her heart out in a song with so much hatred and resentment towards him, it almost made him want to stop her and just pull her into her arms. He knew he couldn't, but it took all his will to hold back. He had Carly now, anyways, the perfect woman. Too bad she wasn't _his_ perfect women. No, his perfect woman was on the other side of the glass, in her jeans and t-shirt, singing her brains out.

"That was amazing," he said into the intercom when she'd finished. "After we break to eat, we'll get Kwest in to start mixing some stuff together. Umm, did you want to play it or no?"

"I think I'll just let Spied do it," she answered, coming back to sit with him. "Umm, if Kwest is coming in after lunch, there's something I should tell you while we're still alone."

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, stopping what he was doing. "Did something happen in New York?"

She took a deep breath. "No, New York was great, actually. Umm, this is incredibly hard for me to say, and I still don't really believe it's happening, and I don't expect anything at all from you, but, uhh, well, I'm pregnant," she whispered, so quiet almost she didn't even hear herself. "Please say something."

"Wow," he finally breathed. "Are you sure?"

"Well, Sadie came to my place this morning while I was throwing up and she said to take one of those home pregnancy things, so I did and it came out positive. She said she'd set me up an appointment for sometime this week." She closed her eyes. "I don't really know what to do here, Tommy."

"Hey," he said calmly, taking her small hands into his bigger ones. "Jude, I'm not going anywhere, okay? We'll get through this and get a good nanny and the baby will be fine."

"Nanny?" she repeated. "I'm gonna take care of my own child, Tommy. I wasn't raised with a nanny and I don't plan on having my kid raised by one either."

"Are you arguing with the way I'm raising Sophie?" he asked, letting go of her hands.

"No," she told him. "I don't know how you were raised, Tommy. In fact, I don't really know all that much about you, but what I do know is that _I _can't be one of those parents who lets someone else take care of their kids, okay? I don't have anything against it, I just can't do it." She let her head fall to her hands. "I guess after I see a doctor I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do."

"Well, we'll do it together," he assured her. "I'm not gonna let you do this alone, Jude, okay? I wasn't there much while Sophie grew up and I'm not missing out this time." He pulled her up to hug her. "I know you can do this, girl. Remember, you're a big girl."

She laughed against his chest. "Yes, that I am."


	16. Chapter 16

Tommy agreed to let Sadie see the ob/gyn with Jude, making her promise to call as soon as they had results.

"So, are you nervous?" Sadie asked, flipping through an old issue of _Cosmo_, while they sat in the waiting room. "And that wig looks ridiculous."

Jude, who was wearing a short brown wig, courtesy of stealing it from Patsy, rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. "Yeah, and the tabloids would just love a picture of me walking into the gynecologist's office on a Wednesday morning at 8:15. That doesn't look too suspicious."

Luckily the room was empty when a nurse walked out to call her back. "Jude Harrison?"

"That's me," Jude sighed, following her back. "Umm, will I know immediately?"

"You sure will," the nurse smiled brightly. "It's exciting, isn't it? The prospect of your first child?"

"Something like that," Jude mumbled, walking into the room.

"Well, change into this and Doctor Laurel will be in momentarily," the nurse explained, handing Jude a gown.

Jude changed, making sure to fold her clothes carefully, and climbed onto the bed warily. She hated all doctors offices and this was easily the worst.

"Jude Harrison," a nice young lady grinned, walking in, looking at a chart. "The musician's having a baby possibly? Oh, nice disguise, by the way."

"This is confidential, yes?" Jude said nervously. "I mean, you can't tell anyone about this?"

"A few thousand dollars worth of info to _The Tattle_ isn't worth my career," Dr. Laurel assured her. "Now, let's see what we've got."

Jude did everything she was told, cringing at all the right moments and closing her eyes then, as well, just to keep from screaming or running away.

"Okay," Dr. Laurel said in finalization, pulling off her gloves. "I'd say in about eight months, a little Harrison, or the father's last name, I guess, will be emerging from right here," she said, patting Jude's stomach softly. "You are pregnant, my dear."

"Crap," Jude groaned. "My label will _love _this."

Dr. Laurel chuckled. "I'm sure you will be fine. Now, I'd like you to schedule an appointment at the desk for next month, okay?"

"Yeah," Jude said, going into the bathroom to change back into her clothes. "Thanks," she called out.

"So?" Sadie implored, closing her magazine when Jude made it back to the waiting room. "Yes or no?"

"I promise to give her a pretty name if it's a girl," Jude answered, making an appointment with the receptionist.

"Yay!" Sadie cried, hugging her tightly. "I'm gonna be an aunt!"

"Yes, that's the important thing here," Jude said sarcastically, hurrying out to her car. "Not how I'm gonna tell our parents or Darius, but that you'll be an aunt."

Sadie pulled out her cell phone and called Tommy, waking him up.

"Hello?" he answered alertly. "Sadie, what's the word?"

"Better tone up those Daddy skills," she joked. "Baby number two is on the way."

He sighed and leaned back against his headboard, looking down at Sophie, who was curled up against him after crawling into bed with him due to a nightmare. "Well, okay then. Can I talk to her?"

"Do you wanna talk to Tommy?" Sadie asked Jude, holding the phone to her palm. "I can tell him you're focusing on driving."

Jude gave her a look and took the phone. "Hi."

"Are you okay?" he wondered sympathetically. "I mean, do you feel alright?"

"A little queasy," she admitted, "but apparently, that's normal."

He smiled. "Well, I was thinking that maybe the easiest way to break the news would be to call a meeting at your place," he told her. "You know, your parents, Darius, Kwest, Jamie, the band, and whoever. That way, we wouldn't have to explain it a million times separately."

"That's a good idea," she concurred. "We could do dinner Friday night."

"I'll make the arrangements," he said, carefully climbing out of his bed, trying not to wake the girl. "Jude, this will be okay, I promise. Even if everyone else disowns you, I have absolutely no intentions of going anywhere, okay?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "Thanks, Tommy." She hung up and gave Sadie the phone. "We're gonna tell everyone over dinner at my apartment on Friday night."

"Well, Saturday, Darius has planned a benefit concert for Musican," Sadie explained. "I mean, I don't think you're on the bill cause it was planned before your return, but Patsy, SME, Mason, and even Tommy are performing."

"Tommy?" Jude smirked. "Little Tommy Q is stepping back into the spotlight? I don't believe it, even if it is for charity."

"Well, he gets to pick his own songs," Sadie went on. "So does everyone else."

"Cool," Jude nodded, pulling into G-Major's parking lot. "I think I'm only coming in to listen to what Kwest did with the song yesterday after Spiederman recorded the music, so you'll have to find a ride home if you're helping Portia again." Sadie had quit working as Liam's secretary months ago, but still helped Portia, her best friend these days, whenever she could.

"Did you think you could avoid me forever?" Spiederman's cool voice asked behind Jude a few minutes later. "Nice try, Harrison." He wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, and swung her around.

"Put her down!" Tommy boomed, walking into the studio at that exact time. "She's not a toy, Vincent."

Spiederman dropped her and made a face. "Ooh, the big bad boy bander is barking out orders. How nice of him." He slapped her butt and went to find Wally and Kyle.

"They need lives," Tommy noted, approaching her carefully. "While you were away, they spent all their time here, driving Liam up the wall. I think he tried to can their solo album but Darius knew they were too good, so they just got a slap on the wrist."

"Telling them to back off just makes them worse," she said. "They like nothing more than a challenge. That's why my job is all that much harder; I've gotta give them something they like."

He smirked. "So we learned. Well, Kwest is in studio B, ready to show you what he did with the boy yesterday if you wanna go on in. I'm working with Mason all day to finish up his second album." He rubbed her arm. "You good?"

"I'm a big girl," she replied, walking off to find her brother-in-law. "Three years and you still haven't learned that?" she teased.

Kwest was grinning from ear to ear when Jude joined him in the booth. "Good morning, Mommy."

"Sadie told you?" she complained. "Stupid pillow talk." She sat in a huff. "Let's see what you've got."

While he played the track, she thought about the upcoming concert. She knew Tommy would only do one song, as a favor to Darius, and she wondered what he'd do. Patsy wouldn't do much either, nor would Mason. He was fresh off an album and she hated big industry, so they'd do two songs each max. SME, on the other hand, loved the exposure and the limelight, so they'd get a good five songs. Thinking of that gave her an idea. "It's great, Kwest," she said distractedly. "I'm thinking I'd like a double acoustic now, but we'll worry about it later." She jumped up and hurried to find her band.

"Aww, it's Miss New York," Kyle joked when she found them in the hospitality room.

"I need to talk to you," she told them, locking the door behind her. "It's about the concert Saturday night."

Wally beamed. "We get five songs, dude! Five!"

"Four," she corrected. "You're gonna secretly give me one."

"Ugh!" Spiederman whined. "Why?"

She explained what she wanted to do. "Now, can I please have one song?"

"Alright," Spiederman relented. "What song?" She stared at him pointedly before he caught on. "Right, 'White Lines.' That makes total sense."

"Yes, it does," she nodded. "Umm, don't make any plans for Friday night, okay? I'm having a dinner party at my place with everyone, so you have to be there."

"Will do," Kyle nodded as she left them to finish their game of Rummy.

Friday night came too soon for Jude. She spent the entire day cleaning her apartment, checking in with Tommy to make sure that the food would be there by 7:00, and filing her nails to her cuticles.

"Hey," Tommy said softly, letting himself in around 5:30. "How are you holding up?"

"I'd say about as good as any 18-year-old kid about to tell her parents and boss that she's pregnant with a 25-year-old's child," she joked, trying to lighten the mood. "I don't care so much of what my mom says, but I'm worried about my dad. I mean, don't tell Sadie this, but I've always been his 'little girl,' and if being pregnant doesn't give him a heart attack, the fact that it's yours will."

"Jude, you're an adult, you live on your own, and you can do things for yourself," he reminded her gently. "If your dad loves you the way I've always known him to, he will be absolutely fine." He thought about it. "Okay, maybe not fine, but he'll get used to it. I mean, he's got eight months."

They spent the rest of the time setting up her small dining room, making room for thirteen people at the table he'd had delivered that morning.

Sadie and Kwest, luckily, were the first to arrive, bringing along two bottles of wine.

"Are you trying to rub it in my face that you all can drink and I can't?" Jude growled, putting it into the refrigerator. "Yeah, be cruel to the girl who won't be able to see her own feet in seven months."

"Wouldn't you prefer that Dad have a few drinks in him before you drop this on him?" Sadie rationalized. "I figured that would be smart."

"Good point," Jude agreed, looking around. "Well, I don't think there's anything else to do except wait now." She sat on her couch and fidgeted with her hands. "So, where's Sophie tonight?" she asked Tommy casually.

"The nanny," he answered as his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hi," Carly cooed on the other end. "I'm standing outside your apartment and Maria is saying you're not home, but I saw your car in the garage."

He walked out into the hallway and shut his phone. "I'm here."

"Why were you there?" she asked demandingly, knowing it was Jude's apartment. "What is your asphyxiation with that girl?"

"_That girl_," he started coolly, "is having my child in eight months, so I recommend that you treat her with a little more respect."

"She's what?" Carly shrieked. "Tommy, she's practically an infant herself! She's barely old enough for a baby _doll_, let alone a real, live child."

Tommy glared at her. "You know absolutely nothing about Jude Harrison, okay? She's by far the most mature and independent _woman_ I have ever known in my entire life. I don't care if you have your PhD in psychology and sociology, Carly, because she's far more interesting than you'll ever even imagine being. To be completely honest, I'm not sure why I dated you as long as I did." With that, he turned and marched back into Jude's apartment.

"What was all that about?" Jude asked incredulously. "You sounded as mad as you were when Spied threw the model airplane at the Viper last Christmas."

"I'm so tired of dating idiots," he sighed, settling in next to her on the couch. "That was the biggest waste of my time."

"Hey, that's what you get for hooking up with one of Liam's friends," Kwest shrugged as someone knocked on the door. "Who do you think it is?"

Jude looked nervously at Tommy, who squeezed her hand tightly. "I guess I should get that?" She stood up, straightened her outfit and opened the door to reveal her mom and Don. "Hi, guys, come on in." She threw back the door.

"Oh, Jude, honey, this is lovely," Victoria smiled, hugging her daughters. "Kwest, Tommy, it's nice to see you."

"And you, Victoria," Kwest nodded, shaking Don's hand. "Don, how are you?"

"Fine, thanks," Don answered. "So, what's the occasion?"

"Umm, let's wait until everyone else gets here," Tommy suggested smoothly.

Jude watched in anticipation as Tommy greeted everyone as they arrived, sitting them at the table, getting them drinks. He was so domestic already and very polite that it terrified her. She knew he'd be a great dad, he already was to Sophie, but she was worried about being a mother. She still slept with a nightlight, lived a hectic life, and rarely had time for anything outside of music.

"Alright, so, what's the big deal?" Spiederman asked as everyone sat, picking at their salads. "We gave up a night of jamming with some people at The Basement to sit here and eat pasta? What's going on, dude?"

"Well, I'm not sure I know where to begin," Jude stated, taking a deep breath. "Umm, as you all know, I've known Tommy for quite sometime now and we've gotten to a point in our, uhh, relationship where we can be very open with each other."

"Oh, my God!" Victoria interrupted. "You're engaged!"

Tommy sighed on Jude's left. "No, Victoria, Jude and I are not getting married. Please, let her continue."

"Thanks," Jude whispered before speaking up again. "Anyways, I want you all to know, especially you, Darius, that I'm very serious about my music and recording and doing what I'm supposed to do at G-Major; so is Tommy. We both understand, he more than I, that this is going to change things but it won't stop us from our day-to-day routine."

"Say no more," Stuart Harrison cut in quietly. "When are you due?"

"April," Jude muttered. "Sometime around the 2nd."

"Wait, you're pregnant?" Spiederman said with a mischievous smirk. "With Little Tommy Q's baby? Oh, how the plot thickens."

Tommy looked at Darius with both fear and interest to see his reaction. He'd done a lot of things to anger Darius in his life and this would surely be another notch on that bar.

"Well, there's not much I can say," Darius spoke calmly. "Jude's my best artist, so I can't drop her. Tommy's my best producer, so I can't fire him. What I'm going to do is let Jude do the third album, have the baby, give her four weeks, and probably get her on tour. If that doesn't happen, _then_ we'll talk contracts and jobs." He smiled at the two of them. "Congratulations, by the way."

It was Jude's turn to look with fear and interest in a reaction, only it would come from her father.

"Jude," he whispered. "I don't even know what to say about this other than I'm incredibly disappointed in you."

"I was afraid of that," she mumbled, trying her hardest not to cry in front of everyone. "Dad, I know that this isn't normal, and that it makes me look bad, but I'm not going to lie and say it was a mistake." She looked at Tommy. "Tommy and I have had our differences in the past, a lot of them, but I don't think this is a bad thing; if anything, it's good. It means he can't go running when things get bad and neither can I. He needs me almost as much as I need him most of the time."

"All of the time," Tommy corrected, taking her hand under the table. "Mr. Harrison, I know that Jude is your youngest daughter and that you worry about her, but so do I. And I know that with Sadie being married now, you feel like Jude's all you've got left, but she's not going anywhere."

"And neither am I, Dad," Sadie put in. "So Jude's having a baby? So what? It's just another kid you can spoil rotten and turn onto Bob Dylan. Don't act like that doesn't excite you a little bit."

Stuart chuckled in spite of himself. "I guess you're right. But, I'm too young to be called 'Grandpa.'"

"Uhh, Dad, look in the mirror," Sadie teased, "cause really, you're not."

The rest of the meal was spent with everyone joking and laughing, making bets on due dates and names for boys and girls. Jude just sat back and watched as her personal life and her professional life meshed as one.

"So, it wasn't so bad, was it?" Tommy asked later that night as he helped her clean up. "I mean, yeah, your dad had a bit of a problem at first, but, like I said, he warmed up to it. By the end of dinner, he was requesting his name as a middle name for a boy." He stopped washing dishes to look at Jude. "Have you thought of any names?"

"Uhh, no," she answered. "I've spent most of my time worrying about how everyone would react. Now, I've got an album to finish. Names will come in my spare time." She put down the wash cloth she was using to wipe the table and stared at him. "Why, have you?"

He shrugged. "A little, I guess. Nothing seriously, though."

"Tommy, what happened with Sophie?" she wondered. "I mean, where did she come from?"

"You sure you wanna know?" he replied, sitting at the bar. "Well, I met her mother, Alana, right after the divorce from Portia," he started. "She was a bartender at some club in L.A. after my split from Boyz Attack and I guess I was a little hungry for some attention. We hooked up a couple of times while I was in town, but when I came back to Toronto, we fell out of touch. Nine months later, she called me to tell me she'd had a little girl and was certain she was mine. Now, at the time, I wasn't completely stupid, so I had a paternity test run and found out that Sophie was, in deed, my daughter. After that, I had Alana moved to Montana near my family there where I could go and visit every once in a while. Allen and Lydia were big roles in her bringing up, as was Nic, and I appreciate them more than they know for that. Uhh, I visited enough for Sophie to know who I was and when Alana died last year in a car accident, I went back to take responsibility like I should've five years ago."

"And what about your parents?" she said, sitting next to him. "I really don't know much about you."

"Cause my past is my past and like you said, our eyes are in the front to look ahead, not behind," he responded. "My dad, David, passed away when I was 14 and Nic was 10 from emphysema for smoking his entire life. My mom, Alexandria, was then institutionalized when I was 17 because she could no longer function properly without my dad. It's sad, really, and I try to see her as much as possible, but doctors say that visitation could make her worse. It's really hard for Nic cause she relied on my mom for so much."

"She seemed nice," Jude reported. "Fabulously gorgeous and perfect, not much unlike her older brother."

"We're worlds apart, trust me," he laughed. "She's more of a free spirit than I am, even if she did finish school and graduate from college last May. And, she's more into reading and writing than music, so we don't have much in common anymore. But, she's my baby sister and I love her for who she is."

Jude sighed and looked at her wall clock. 11:20. "Well, it's late and you have a daughter to get home to."

"Yeah," he sighed, standing up. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow night at the benefit thing, yeah?"

"Definitely," she smirked. "Seeing you perform for the first time in years? I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good night, Jude," he murmured, kissing her cheek before letting himself out.

_That girl is out of his life_, she thought, going into her bedroom to put on pajamas. _She's gone and you're having his baby. It's high time you swallow your pride and tell him you love him. _"I know," she muttered to herself, calming her thoughts.


	17. Chapter 17

**So, reviewers? You guys are AMAZING and I love you all! Especially those who review faithfully. I think everyone will like this chapter because from here, there is much Jommyness to come.**

**Disclaimer: yeah, yeah, don't own it.**

"Nervous?" Wally asked her the next night as they stood backstage at The Basement, a large club that Darius had rented for the event. SME sometimes played sets there on Friday nights, so Spiederman had made it all happen, thus the reason for their five song guarantee. "I mean, not the performing part, but the dedicating? You do know that's he's going on after us, right?"

"Yeah," she said, barely audibly. "But it'll shock everyone when I come from the shadows of the back for the last song while you start playing 'White Lines' on the piano Jamie wheels out." They'd incorporated Jamie into their scheme, just for the piano reason alone. "He says he thinks he can do it without Darius or Liam suspecting anything. He told them you guys have a new song that's really good you want to demo."

"Nice," Kyle said on her other side. "Jamie may be a loser now, but he comes in handy in the clutch."

Patsy went on first, only doing one song, as Jude had assumed. She hated big corporation and even though she'd signed, she rarely performed for G-Major. Mason went next, only doing two new songs, as he'd been touring on and off for the last year, and was tired of the stage life. The Spiederman Mind Explosion was, of course, awesome and did their first four songs perfectly and without problem.

"So, this is our last song tonight and we thought we'd do a little something different for you all," Spiederman said into his microphone. "See, we have this friend, who you all know, who wasn't included tonight and that irked her just a bit. Now, you don't know scary until you've seen a mad Jude Harrison, so when she approached us about giving up a slot, we couldn't refuse without losing a limb each."

Wally sat at the piano and started the intro to 'White Lines' as Jude made her way to the stage. "How's it going, Toronto?" she smiled into a microphone Spiederman handed her on the way up the steps to the stage. "Well, this song was written around two years ago and came out on the second album. Tonight, I'd like to dedicate it to the same guy I wrote it for all that time ago."

"The girl is good," Portia scoffed, standing next to Tommy in the wings. "Sneaky and manipulative, but good. How you made it 25 long years without her, Tommy, I do not know."

"Me either," he smirked. "And I don't want to go another day without her. And I mean, without her as _more_ than a friend or artist." He sighed. "I love her, Portia. I love that girl right there with more love than I ever even knew existed."

"I know you do," she nodded. "And I'm happy you found her."

When Jude finished, she got a standing ovation from the entire audience and everyone backstage. She knew it would probably be her last performance for a long time and she milked it for everything it was worth. She smiled and waved before running off stage to Sadie and Kwest. "How was it?"

"Amazing," Sadie told her excitedly. "I think Tom about wet his pants."

"Where is Tommy?" Jude asked, looking around. "The band has to get their stuff off before he goes on."

"Not quite," Kwest shook his head, nodding at the stage. "He's keeping the piano."

"So, I know that I haven't performed for a crowd in years, but Darius asked me to do something tonight, so I obliged," Tommy explained to the crowd, taking a seat at the bench while hooking up a microphone to the piano. "I had planned on doing an old Johnny Cash song just for fun, but after the last act, I had to follow-up." He paused and grinned over at Jude. "She's pretty amazing, isn't she?" The crowd cheered. "So, this song was written and originally performed by Gavin DeGraw, but it's pretty fitting right now, so this is 'More Than Anyone,'" he said, starting to play. Jude just stood there, with her sister and brother-in-law, watching in awe.

"Go out there," Sadie whispered as he sang the second verse. "Go sit with him."

"Sadie, no," Jude denied. "That's crazy."

Sadie looked at Kwest and nodded before they pushed her on stage. The crowd screamed and Tommy, as arrogant as ever, assumed it was for him so he kept playing without looking up. Jude smiled awkwardly and made her way to him, sitting down next to him, careful not to mess him up. For the rest of the song, she just sat, watching his hands glide expertly over the keys, playing the notes like he'd written them himself.

"You never cease to amaze me," she whispered when he finished. "Who know you had a little Beethoven in you?"

Instead of answering, and to the absolute delight of the crowd, he just kissed her. And it was a kiss that Jude knew would be the first of many.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Darius Mills, G-Major Records, and Musican, thank you for coming out tonight!" Spiederman yelled, making one last appearance. "Now, if you two at the piano could pull away from each other for a few minutes, we gotta move the equipment."

"So, that was cute," Patsy joked when Tommy and Jude made it to the main room backstage. "A little over-the-top and ridiculous, but cute for you two. It was long overdue." She laughed. "Ha, overdue. And that wasn't even a pregnancy joke."

"You're funny, Patsy," Jude teased. She looked at Tommy, who was still clinging tightly to her side. "I was thinking that if it's a girl, I'd like to name her after your mom."

His face softened at the thought. "Really? She would love that, even if she didn't understand. But, Alexandria is pretty formal for someone as hardcore as you," he joked.

"I said we'd _name_ her that, not _call_ her that," Jude explained. "I'd like to call her 'Lex,' actually. Sounds edgy, right?"

Lex Quincy?" he repeated. "I don't know, Harrison. It doesn't really sound all that great."

"Uhh, hello?" she scoffed. "And Sophie Quincy does?"

He smiled. "I guess you're right. Okay, if it's a girl, Alexandria it is. And if it's a boy?"

"We can decide on that together," she told him softly, kissing him again. "God, I love being able to do that without feeling like I have to hide it or forget it."

"So do I," he agreed. "So, can I give you a ride home?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sure. I rode with Jamie and Patsy, and they'll probably go to the rehearsal space and do God knows what, so I'm gonna need a ride."

"Jude, that was sweet," Darius said as he walked back. "So were you, T. I want to see you both, bright and early, Monday morning cause you have an album to work on."

"Great," Jude muttered, following Tommy out to his motorcycle. "Ooh, brought out the big guns tonight, huh?"

"It's been a while," he shrugged, handing her his extra helmet. "I promise to drive carefully."

"No," she said. "In a few months, I won't fit on this and you'll be driving the Mom-mobile, so go crazy, please? I promise to hold on with dear life."

He grinned and kissed her temple. "How could I resist that?"

"Uhh, you can't," she replied smugly, climbing on and wrapping her arms around his waist. "So, does your family know about the baby?"

"Nic does," he answered, starting up the bike. "I'm sure she's told Allen and Lydia, but I haven't heard from them yet."

On the ride home, Jude leaned her head against his back, smiling at the thought of them finally being together and everyone knowing it. It had been a long time coming and now that it was here, with a baby on the way, she'd never been happier.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" he said when they got in front of her door. "Do you wanna go out for lunch? I know I owe you a dinner, but Sophia has a ballet recital at 6:30."

"Can I come?" she asked. "I can do lunch, but I'd still like to see her. I love that little kid."

"I'm sure she'd like that," he agreed, kissing her softly. "You gonna be okay on your own?"

"Gee, I don't know," she muttered sarcastically. "I'm not sure I'm a big girl yet."

"Well, if you're ever unsure for real, I always leave my door unlocked at night," he murmured in her ear. "Good night, girl." He turned and walked away to his apartment, leaving Jude alone to hers.

That night, Jude lay awake in bed, thinking about what he'd told her. _I always leave my door unlocked at night._ He was practically inviting her in, right? She assumed he was, so she, in her boxer shorts and tank top, padded down the hallway to his apartment, let herself in, and walked mutely back to his bedroom. He was sleeping on his side, facing his night stand, without a shirt on. She smirked and slowly climbed into his bed, snuggling up close to him.

"It took you longer than I thought," he admitted, rolling over to face her. "I guess I was too subtle for you."

"Are you kidding?" she laughed. "I've been sitting in bed for the last two hours debating whether I should come down or not."

"Always come down," he recommended. "Then I don't feel so alone." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her as close as humanly possible before they both drifted off to a deep and comforting sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

"Daddy, get up!" Sophie yelled excitedly the next morning. "My recital is today!"

"I know," he yawned, sitting up tiredly. "But it's not until tonight, so why don't we let Daddy sleep a little longer? See if Maria would like to make you breakfast?"

She nodded happily. "How come Jude is sleeping there? Did she have a nightmare and get scared like me?"

"Umm, something like that," he agreed, looking down at Jude who was curled up next to the spot he'd just sat up from. "She might be here a lot more now."

"Is she my new mommy?" Sophie asked. She didn't ask with sadness or anger or any emotion other than curiosity.

Tommy blushed at the idea. "Oh, no one will ever replace your mom, sweetie, but Jude and I are very close."

"Okay," she said, kissing his cheek. "I'm gonna have pancakes!" And with that, she bounded out of his room.

"When I was her age, even then I was already sleeping in until at least 10:30," Jude muttered, her eyes still closed and in the same position. "It's 9:30 and she wants breakfast and ballet? To me, it's still Saturday night."

"Very funny," he laughed, laying back down next to her. "So, is there anything you wanna do today, Harrison?"

It was her turn to yawn. "Well, I'd like to sleep and then maybe try to write and then I'm sorta tied to lunch with this lunatic."

"Oh, a lunatic, huh?" he replied. "Well, how would your boyfriend react to that?" She tensed at the reference and he felt it. "Ooh, too soon?"

"No!" she cried. "I've just been wondering if you would use that term or not, but seeing as you just did, I guess that's one thing I can stop worrying about."

Tommy leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Yes, you can." Just then his cell phone rang, flashing Darius' studio number. "Crap," he muttered. "Hello?" he answered.

"T, I need you and Jude to the studio by 11:15," Darius barked. "You two, SME, Patsy, and Mason have an interview with MTV about the Musican benefit concert at 12:00. Can you get a hold of her? I tried her apartment and cell but only got answering machines. I know you're neighbors, so I figured you could just go tell her."

"Uhh, sure, I can tell her," Tommy smiled. "Hey, Jude, we've got an interview about the benefit concert today at noon with MTV." He turned his attention back to Darius. "There, how's that?"

"She's with you?" Darius realized. "Well, whatever. 11:15," he added before ending the call.

"No," Jude groaned. "I don't wanna go down there today. If I'm not touring now, that'll become like prison for me."

"Only for nine months," Tommy pointed out, climbing out of bed. "Then, you can tour, I can accompany, and we can raise little Lex or boy-to-be-named."

"Jordan," she spoke quietly. "That's what I'd like to name the baby if it's a boy."

"Jordan," he said, letting it sink in. "I like that. Why?"

She shrugged and got up. "It kinda just came to me, I guess. If you really hate it, we can discuss it, but I'm just putting it out in the open."

"I like it," he assured her. "But, for now, you better go shower and get ready. I'll swing by and pick you up at ten til."

Jude agreed, kissed him quickly, and hurried down to her apartment. Sure enough, both her house phone and cell phone had frantic messages from Darius, explaining the interview. After a long shower, she picked out a pair of her favorite True Religion jeans, a black tank top under a white see-through t-shirt, and black Converse high tops. She brushed her hair into it's natural curls, applied her eye make-up, and made a pot of coffee.

"You ready?" Tommy asked, letting himself in at quarter to eleven. "We've got a few minutes if you're not."

Jude, who was on her third cup, yawned. "One of these days, I'm calling the shots to my own life and I'll get up and do as I please. But, until then, Darius beckons." She put the cup in the sink, unplugged the coffee maker, and followed him down to the garage. "Mom-mobile or motorcycle?"

"Let's see how you look in the Ranger Rover," he smirked, opening the door for her. "Aww, perfect fit for Mommy."

"Yeah, I _love_ your jokes this early," she rolled her eyes, putting on her seatbelt as he walked around to his side. "How ironic would it be if this baby hates music and all things associated with it?"

"If we raise it properly, we won't have to worry about that," he told her, pulling onto the main road. "We've just gotta keep it away from Sadie if it's a girl cause she'd turn her into a cheerleader."

Jude shuddered at the thought. "Or worse, she'll have Sadie's musical, uhh, talents." Sadie couldn't carry a tune if you put it in a Gucci bag. "That would be unfortunate."

"Definitely," he agreed, parking in his spot behind the studio. "Well, let's go do some damage."

Inside, Darius was talking on his cell phone, Portia was talking with MTV's Suchin Pak, and everyone else being interviewed, except Patsy who was MIA, was in hair and make-up.

"Good, you're both here," Portia noted, pushing Jude into a director's chair. "See what you can do with her," she told a stylist before taking away Tommy's leather jacket. "Too much," she told him, throwing it into her office.

"Hey, guys, I'm Suchin Pak for MTV News, doing a special interview with Canada's biggest music stars, talking about the benefit concert they recently performed for Musican," Suchin started 45 minutes later. "So, Jude, tell everyone what Musican is exactly?"

"Well, it's a charity that helps bring music into underdeveloped areas," Jude explained. "And being a major label up here, it's definitely one of G-Major's favorites."

"And what was the concert for?" Suchin asked. "Mason?"

"Well, a local chapter of the group is raising money to build a music center and all proceeds from last night will go towards that," he answered. "It's a great cause and we're always totally happy to help."

Suchin smiled. "Great. Now, Tom Quincy, the boy band heartthrob-turned-producer, you sang solo last night for the first time in over four years. How was that?"

"Surreal," he admitted. "It made me realize how much I'd missed performing for people and how much I loved the adrenaline rush."

"Lovely," Suchin nodded. "Now, you boys of The Spiederman Mind Explosion are in the studio working on a solo album, right? How's that going?"

"Awesome," Spiederman said enthusiastically. "We get a lot of help from Jude and our producers and we can't wait for everyone to hear what we're working on."

"And, finally, to wrap things up, at the end last night, a little something-something happened on that piano bench," she chuckled, looking at Jude and Tommy. "What was all that about?"

Tommy glanced at Darius, who only shrugged, before answering. "Well, Jude and I have had our fair share, actually more than our fair share of differences and problems in the past, but we've finally worked them out."

"So, there's a love match going on here between the artist and her producer?" Suchin summed up.

"Yeah, you could say that," Jude put in. "We'll just have to wait a see."

"Well, in about seven months, everyone will see," Spiederman teased under his breath, thinking no one heard. Jude did. "Ow!" he yelped when she kicked him.

"Well, on behalf of MTV News, thanks so much," Suchin smiled, looking back at the camera just before it shut off. "That was great, guys, thanks."

Half an hour later, Jude and Tommy were seated at Calamity, a local restaurant, having lunch.

"So, where does Sophie take ballet?" Jude asked, playing with her popcorn shrimp. For a pregnant girl, she wasn't too hungry.

"Umm, with Madame Amelie," he shrugged. "I don't know anything about her except that Maria said she's the best."

Jude nodded. "She is. Sadie took dance lessons with her for eight years when we were little. She's tough, but she can make a duck look like a swan."

"Well, Sophie's mom danced, so she probably got her talent," Tommy said.

"Did you love her?" Jude asked quietly. "Sophie's mom, I mean."

"No," Tommy answered solemnly. "Compared to other ex-girlfriends, she was decent, but we both knew we did it all for companionship, not for love." He smiled at her across the table. "She wasn't you."

"You didn't know me then," Jude pointed out in a whisper.

He nodded. "Yeah, but I knew you were out there; not _you_ at the time, but that girl I was gonna fit with. It just happened to turn out to be my hot-headed artist."

"Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes. "I'm so glad you think so highly of me." She looked down at her stomach. "God, I'm gonna be fat."

"That's usually how it works," he told her. "But you'll still be beautiful and you'll be carrying our baby."

"I'm still getting used to that," she admitted nervously. "I mean, I'll only be 19 when it's born. Until I'm 21, I'm still a kid practically."

"Age, like you told me a thousand times, is just a number, girl," he explained softly. "You're totally ready for this, Jude; and I'll be here if you're not." He reached for her hand. "I promise."

After lunch, they rode back to Tommy's apartment to find Sophie already in her fluffy pink costume, showing off for Maria.

"Jude!" she cried, running to her. "Was your nightmare scary?"

"Nightmare?" Jude repeated. "What nightmare?" She looked to Tommy for help.

"Daddy said you slept in his bed last night cause you had a nightmare," Sophie continued. "Was it scary?"

"Oh!" Jude said, understanding the little girl's comment. "Umm, yeah, but he made me feel better."

Sophie grinned. "He makes me feel better, too." She turned to her father. "Do you love Jude again, Daddy?"

"I never really stopped," he admitted, picking her up. "Now, Sophie, Jude and I have something very important to tell you, okay?" He looked to Maria. "You can go on home for the day, Maria."

"I'll be here in the morning," the elderly woman smiled, letting herself out.

Tommy led his daughter to the couch and sat her down while he and Jude knelt down in front of her. "Soph, I know you're still young, but I think you're mature enough for us to tell you this, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," she agreed.

"Well, you've grown up as an only child," Tommy started, "and I think you've handled it very well, but in a few months, you're going to have a brother or sister."

"I am?" Sophie whispered.

"I'm having a baby," Jude told her. "And it'll be mine and your dad's and he or she will be your baby sibling. You'll get to be the big sister."

Tommy watched in anticipation for his first child's reaction. He knew she was thinking about it, but when her face lit up, he realized she'd be okay. "So, would you like to hear the names we've chosen?"

"Yeah," Sophie nodded excitedly.

"Well, if Jude has a girl, we'll name her Alexandria, but call her Lex," he explained slowly, allowing the five-year-old to understand. "And if it's a boy, we're going to name him Jordan."

"Cool," Sophie grinned. "I like those names." She paused. "Will I get to boss it around?"

"Nicely," Jude laughed. "As the big sister, you'll have to protect the baby and take care of it. You're gonna be a major role in their life."

After talking with Sophie a little longer, Jude excuse herself and went to her apartment. It had been a long day and she was tired. She wanted to take a quick nap before getting ready for Sophie's recital.

"Jude, wake up," Tommy shook her gently, an hour later. "It's 4:00. I figured you'd want to get up and get ready?"

Jude yawned and sat up. "Yeah, I guess I should." She climbed out of bed and stumbled to her dresser, looking for undergarments. "Do I need to dress up?"

"Well, if Sadie used to dance for this woman, I'm sure you've seen her recitals," he replied, looking down at his own outfit: a pair of black dress pants and a white button-up. "I don't dress like this on a regular basis."

"Right," she said, going to her closet. "How about this?" she asked, pulling out a white, cotton sundress. "Is it okay?"

"I like it," he nodded in approval. "And who knows how long it'll be before you can fit into it again?"

"Tommy!" she cried, whipping around to face him. "No fat jokes!"

He laughed and pulled her into his arms. "Okay, I'm sorry. Now, hurry up and shower and Sophie and I will be in your living room. She's out there now, watching _Dora_."

"Alright," she agreed, going into her bathroom. When she finished in the shower, she dried her hair into it's loose curls, applied her make-up, and put the dress on. Even for being as pale as she still was, it looked pretty good.

"Well, check you out, Mama," Tommy whistled when she emerged from her room. "I'm gonna have to bring out the brass knuckles if you're going out in that."

"Aww, Soph, your dad likes making jokes," Jude smiled sweetly, running a hand through his hair. "How would he like it if I said his hair is looking a little wind blown?"

Tommy's face fell. "Yeah, hilarious."

"Is it time to leave yet?" Sophie asked anxiously, bouncing up and down on the couch in her tutu. "I wanna dance."

"Alright, let's go," Tommy sighed, standing up. He took Sophie's hand in one of his, and took Jude's with his other. "The Mom-mobile awaits."

Madame Amelie was a onetime French prima ballerina on the Parisian stage and had made a name for herself in Toronto by running the toughest and hardest to get into dance studio in Canada. Jude knew that you had to be able to dance on toe by the age of four to get in, so if Sophie could do that, Jude was impressed.

"Alright, well, there's your class," Tommy said, pointing to a group of girls in the same outfit as Sophia. "Go on over there and I'll be watching in the front row, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Sophie grinned, hugging him and running towards her friends.

"How are you guaranteeing to be in the front row?" Jude whispered as he led her into the auditorium. "It was full when we passed it."

He smirked and stood in front of two teenage girls. "Hi, ladies. My daughter is dancing tonight and it's the first time I've ever seen her perform, so would it be too much to ask if we could have these seats?" he asked them, channeling his inner Little Tommy Q.

"Sure, Tommy," one nodded nervously, standing up. "Come on, Rach. Tom Quincy and Jude Harrison want our seats!" She grabbed her friend and pulled her away.

"Well, aren't you something?" Jude laughed, sitting down in one of the newly vacated seats. "It's amazing, actually. I mean, here you are, 25, with a daughter and another kid on the way, and girls still think you're 19 with a white bandana and bad attitude."

"Hey, the bandana is somewhere in my closet and I've still got the attitude," he whispered softly in her ear. "I just know how and when to use it."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, watching the poised ballet instructor walk on stage. "If she sees us talking while she is, she'll have us thrown out; that much I can remember."

"Experience?" he teased.

She shrugged mysteriously. "Let's just say that Jamie and I weren't the quietest kids."

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Madame Amelie's annual recital," Amelie started in her broken English. "This year, we've got six groups performing, starting with our youngest girls: the five-year-olds." She smiled, walking off to the side as Sophie and her class walked quickly onto the stage, getting into position.

"She looks so right up there," Jude muttered, watching as the soft classical music began to play. "Like a little prima donna."

"Yeah, she does," he agreed. "Well, now we know that if we have a girl, she has to be like you cause we've already got one girly-girl."

"'We've?'" she repeated. "What does that mean?"

Tommy smiled over at her. "Come on, Jude. It's not like I'm going anywhere now and I'm gonna need some help. Yeah, Maria is great, but she's more like Sophie's grandma. The girl needs a mom."

"Tommy, I can't be her mom," Jude said softly. "I really like Sophie, but she had a mom; I'm not gonna take her place."

Tommy smiled. "No, Jude, I don't mean I want you to take Alana's place, alright? I just would like you to be there for her if she needs you." He took her hand and squeezed. "I'm not going to pressure or force you into anything you don't want, alright?"

"I know," she nodded. "And I think I can do that."

During intermission, while Tommy excused himself to walk out to buy Sophie flowers, a female sat down in his empty seat. It was one of the girls who had given up the front row seats. "Are you dating him?" she demanded. "He's too old for you."

"Look, you're probably about my sister Sadie's age, around 21, so you're only three years older than me," Jude said evenly. "And Sadie recently married Tommy's best friend, Kwest, also my engineer, and he's 27, so he and Sadie are almost as far apart in age as Tommy and I."

"Who cares?" the girl scoffed. "I'm sure if I were to flaunt in front of him a little, he'd forget all about you."

"I don't think so," Tommy's cool voice said behind her. "Now, would you so kindly get out of the seat you already left for me once?"

The girl stood up. "She's just a child, Tommy; I'm not." She winked and walked away.

"That was entertaining," Tommy chuckled, sitting back down. "Gotta love girls who think they know everything."

"I'm used to it," Jude said simply. "I grew up with Sadie and beat Eden on the show; girls with superiority complexes don't faze me." The lights flickered, warning that the show was starting back up. She leaned over and kissed him. "I love you."

"Yeah?" he smiled. "Well, it's a good thing cause I love you, too."

The last act of the show was the older girls, over the age of 16, and Madame Amelie made one last appearance on the stage, looking down at Jude as she did. "Our last act tonight is my older girls and I always lets them choose the music themselves. Usually, the go along with the Mozart or Bach, but this year, their captain, Lindsey, chose a song by local musician, Jude Harrison. Now, it was pointed out to me that she's actually in the audience tonight and now that I recognize her as a girl I once kicked out, I'd like to ask her for forgiveness and ask if she'd like to come up and perform for the girls while they dance?"

"Huh?" Jude asked blankly. "Oh, I don't know if I can do that."

"Just go," Tommy told her, holding in his laughs. "How bad can it be?"

Jude stood up, took a deep breath, and made her way up a set of stairs to a stool and microphone that had been set up. "What song is it?"

Before anyone answered, Madame Amelie had exited and the first chords of 'There's Us' played through the overhead speakers. She hadn't performed the song since the night Tommy had left, but after him promising to never leave again, it wasn't so bad. When the time came, she started singing, not taking her eyes off the guy in front of her for even a second.

"You were good, Jude," Sophie smiled on the car ride home later that night. "Madame Amelie even said so."

"Well, if the French princess liked it, I'm so honored," Jude joked. "You did wonderfully, Soph."

"Thanks," the little girl beamed. "Did you like it, Daddy?"

He turned around to smile at her. "I loved it, baby."

"Jude, do you love my Daddy?" Sophie spoke quietly. "I know I asked you before, but you didn't answer."

"Yeah, I guess I do," Jude smiled nonchalantly, as if it was nothing. "He's alright."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me," Tommy smirked. "So, Soph, are you hungry?"

Sophie was quiet, so he knew she was thinking about it. "Umm, yeah," she finally answered. "Can we get doughnuts?"

"Oh, my God, if she really wants doughnuts for dinner, I will officially adore her forever," Jude laughed, turning to face her. "Is that really what you want?"

"Krispy Kreme," Sophie smiled devilishly. "Are they open?"

"We'll find out," Tommy replied, driving the Range Rover down the street opposite the one he should've taken. "If not, you can pick something else."

Luckily, Krispy Kreme was still open when Tommy pulled up to the drive-thru, so he placed their order: a dozen glazed, half a dozen glazed with chocolate icing, two coffees for Jude and Tommy, and an orange juice for Sophie.

"I swear, Sophie is channeling a five-year-old version of me," Jude joked as they carried the food up to Tommy's apartment. "Of course, my parents were never cool enough to actually allow this, but Jamie's nana was so old already, we snuck past her all the time."

"He never tells me 'no,'" Sophie giggled, sitting at the kitchen table. "I'm his little princess."

Tommy twirled a finger in the air. "I'm whipped."

"So I see," Jude laughed, putting the doughnuts in an arrangement on a serving platter. "So, _voila!_ Dinner is served."

The three of them sat around for the next hour, talking and laughing. Jude told Sophie stories about Tommy when she first knew him and about his life during Boyz Attack. Sophie laughed and teased him the whole time.

"So, it was funny to you, huh?" Tommy mused, tickling his daughter. "Well, I think it's getting pretty late, so why don't you go take a bath?"

"When I'm done, will you read to me?" Sophie asked quietly, putting her plate and empty cup into the sink. "Real quick?"

"Can I?" Jude interrupted. "It might be something I should get used to."

"Yeah," Sophie agreed, hurrying to the bathroom. "I like _Cinderella_!"

"Her favorite," Tommy nodded. "She's got every Disney movie ever made as a book and she only likes that one."

Jude smiled. "Does she have _my_ favorite?"

"Yes," he nodded, "I do believe that _Beauty and the Beast_ is part of her collection." He smirked. "You can try it but I won't promise she'll like it."

Jude shrugged sweetly. "I seem to have a way with manipulating people into my ideas. I seem to remember doing it to you a few times before."

"Yes, you have," he nodded, cleaning up the rest of the table. "She takes quick baths, so I suggest you go find her book."

While Jude walked back to Sophie's bedroom, Tommy couldn't help but smile at the thought of her reading a bedtime story to his daughter. It was an image he didn't want to forget...ever. Quickly, he grabbed the cordless phone off the wall, hurried upstairs to the entertainment room, locking it behind him.

"Hello?" Kwest finally answered on the fifth ring. "God, Tommy, Sadie just fell asleep and she's had a headache all day. That's practically a death wish."

"Sorry," Tommy replied in a hurry. "Look, I need your help, man. When you wanted to propose to Sadie, did you pick out her ring?"

Silence loomed on the other end. "You're gonna propose? Already?"

"You say that like I haven't wanted to for about three years," Tommy laughed, sitting down on a hanging globe chair. "Now, did you choose Sadie's ring?"

"No, Jude did," Kwest answered. "Umm, one night after another bad recording session, we went downtown to that jewelry store and even though it was closed, I had Jude Harrison, so they opened it. The ones I picked, she just laughed at. Finally, she pointed at one. One. The only ring she even looked at was the one Sadie fell in love with. They just know each other like that."

"Then have Sadie call me in the morning," Tommy said. "I guess she and I will be doing some shopping."

"I can't believe you're gonna do this," Kwest chuckled. "I never knew you to be so impulsive. Other than marrying Portia."

"Me either," Tommy sighed. "It just feels right, you know? There's nothing about me she no longer is in the dark about and everything between us is better than ever. It's a feeling I don't want to give up."

"Good for you, man," Kwest smiled. "Well, I'm gonna go and see if Sadie's up and needs anything. If she's feeling better, I'll have her call you in the morning before we meet up at the studio." He hung up, as did Tommy.

"So, Soph, I know you said that _Cinderella _is your favorite, but how about if I read you my favorite tonight?" Jude suggested, tucking Sophie in as she perched on the edge of the canopy bed."How about_ Beauty and the Beast_? I absolutely love it."

Sophie considered it. For a child, she was well aware of things going on around her and liked to know about them. "Okay, but only if you stay around."

"Huh?" Jude whispered. "What do you mean, babe?"

"You left Daddy," Sophie stated plainly. "And he was very sad for a long time. Then, that Carly woman came around and it made him mad. I didn't like that."

"Me either," Jude admitted in resignation. "When I left, I was in a bad place. Bad things had happened that I was afraid of. It just took me a bit to get over them."

Sophie laid down on her fluffy pillow. "Just promise you won't do it again and you can read that book."

"You're so much like I was at your age, it's scary," Jude scoffed. "I absolutely promise to never leave your dad again."

"Good," Tommy spoke up from behind them. "Now, why doesn't Jude read while we fall asleep?" He walked over and settled onto the bed next to his two favorite girls in the entire world.


	19. Chapter 19

Jude woke up the next morning in Tommy's bed, alone. At first, she was confused, and an immediate wave of fear washed over her as she thought that he had left again. Then, as she sat up, she remembered reading him to sleep with Sophie in the girl's room the night before.

"Good morning, Big Eyes," he smirked when she made her way to the kitchen five minutes later. Another term of endearment from the past. "Sleep well?"

"A little lonely, but comfortable," she answered. "And I somehow manage to find myself in your clothes," she added, looking down at her ensemble of big flannel pajama pants and a plain black t-shirt.

"Yeah, I woke up around midnight to brush my teeth and I saw you in the dress, so I changed you," he admitted, sipping his coffee. "You look almost as good in my clothes as I do."

"Funny guy," she laughed, kissing his cheek. "Well, I'm gonna go home, shower, and head over to the studio. I'll see you when you get there." She left as the phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered, pouring his second cup.

"Hey," Sadie's tired voice came through. "Kwest said I need to call you ASAP. What's going on, Tom?"

Tommy picked up the paper. "Well, Kwest said that Jude had assisted him in choosing your engagement ring, so I was hoping you would do the same for me."

"Oh, my God!" she squealed, forgetting that she still wasn't feeling great. "You're gonna propose to Jude?! This is amazing! I'll totally help you."

"Good," he said. "Well, we've gotta start working on the album for real today, but how about tomorrow morning? She's got a radio show and Darius said I didn't have to come in until she does and that won't be until around 2:30."

"Okay," she agreed excitedly. "Aww, this is so cool."

"Well, I'm running late right now and Maria just got here, so I'm gonna go," he said, standing up. "Meet me tomorrow morning around 10:15." He hung up, put the phone on the base, and rushed to get ready.

"We've got a problem," Tommy heard a hushed whisper as he parked the Range Rover in the back lot at G-Major half an hour later. "Paparazzi out front." He turned around to see Jude in a corner, as if hiding from the world. She looked scared. "They know, Tommy, about the baby."

"What?" he said in shock, hurrying to pull her into his arms.

"They have to!" she insisted. "Why else would they be out front, waiting like hungry dogs in an alley?"

"Shh," he whispered, leading her to the back door. "Darius and Liam will take care of this."

"Have you looked out front?" Kwest asked when Jude and Tommy found him in the lobby. "It's a zoo."

"No kidding," Jude muttered furiously, searching the room for Darius. "Where's D?"

"In his office with Liam," Kwest answered. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Jude stormed off and let herself into the little meeting. "What is going on? Why is the sidewalk covered in photographers, Darius?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out, Jude," Liam answered in his pretentious British/Irish accent. No one really knew where he was from. "I'm planning on sending Mr. Andrews out to see what they want."

Fifteen minutes later, while sitting in studio D with Kwest and Tommy, the door opened and Jamie appeared with a bemused look on his face.

"Well?" Jude asked expectantly. "What do they want?"

Jamie smirked at them. "Well, I get out there and just as I'm ready to ask them that, a fat guy in front yells 'Where are Jude and Tommy?' Apparently, your relationship is every tabloids wet dream."

"Great," Tommy murmured, leaning back in his seat. "Well, should we go out and make a public statement?"

"Darius thinks that's probably a good idea," Jamie nodded. "Nothing big, just something to tide them over."

"Right," Tommy said, standing up and holding out a hand for Jude. "Come on, baby, let's give 'em something to talk about."

Jude readied herself to face the firing squad and followed Tommy out to the front. She felt as if a million flashbulbs went off in her face.

"Jude! Jude!" they all yelled. "How long has this been going on?" one cried out.

Tommy tightened his grip on her hand and waved the other. "Jude and I, yes, are in a relationship and would like some privacy if you don't mind. Thank you." With one more smile, he turned her around and ushered her back into G-Major. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Surreal," she shrugged. "Can you imagine what it's gonna be like when I start showing? I'm gonna have to leave the country."

"And leave me behind?" he teased. "Thanks so much."

She smiled half-heartedly. "Okay, maybe you and Sophia can come with me."

They spent the rest of the day alone, locked in studio D, working on lyrics and music for the third album, already tentatively titled 'Not Falling Again.' By 7:30, they'd felt as if they had made good progress, so they finished up and walked outside.

Tommy noticed her Mustang. "So I guess I can't offer you a ride home, huh?"

"Sorry," she apologized cutely. "Well, maybe you can expect me later tonight?"

"I better," he whispered softly into her ear before kissing her and climbing into his SUV.

"Hey," Jude said later that night as she let herself into his bedroom. "Are you sleeping?"

"I've been waiting," he told her smoothly, lifting his duvet so she could climb in with him. "What did you do when you got home?"

"Ate, called my dad, spoke vaguely with Don when I called my mom, and then watched _St. Elmo's Fire_. You?"

He sighed and breathed in her scent. "Spent time with Sophie, gave Maria the night off, and carried her to bed after watching _The Little Mermaid_."

"We're such exciting people," she joked, snuggling up next to him. "Are you sure I can't interest you in joining me for the radio show tomorrow morning?"

"Been there, done that," he joked, kissing her forehead softly. "Plus, it's not fair to give our first appearance on-air together to radio. It's gotta be something better than that."

"Yeah," she agreed, "like _Oprah_ or something." She yawned. "What are you gonna do tomorrow morning then?"

Tommy smiled secretly at his plans for the following day. "I've got some, uhh, errands to run before I head to the studio."

"Anything I should know about?" she asked seductively, knowing all too well he was hiding something.

"Don't," he groaned. "That's not fair."

"Fine," she said, closing her eyes. "I like surprises, Quince, so it better be good." She leaned over and kissed him passionately before falling into the perfect puzzle their two bodies formed. "Good night, baby."

"Good night, Big Eyes," he replied, falling asleep to her soft breathing.

The next morning, Tommy woke up at 9:30 to find Jude's spot empty. She'd left a note on her pillow.

_Went to radio show. You better tune in at 12:10. Love you. Big Eyes._

"Nervous?" Sadie asked when they met up an hour later. "Kwest said he was when Jude helped him. Of course, you've always been _so smooth_ with the ladies."

"Not Jude," he scoffed. "She turns me into a blubbering idiot at times." He took a deep breath and looked up at the jewelry store. "I'd never even considered looking at engagement rings until I met her."

"You were married," she stated plainly, opening the door for him. "What about Portia?"

He rolled his eyes. "You mean our impulsive marriage in Vegas? Yeah, we didn't have time for a ring."

"Okay," she laughed, browsing around. "Check some stuff out and let me know if you see something _you_ like to tell you if _she'll_ like it."

He nodded and started perusing the displays. Everything he saw was so simple: gold or white gold band, 2-6 carat diamond, and boring. They were all Sadie, but not Jude.

"Anything?" she asked twenty minutes later.

"Nope," he said in distress. "All very you, meaning they're completely not her."

She smiled. "Keep looking."

And he did. For thirty more minutes, he shook his head at emeralds and rubies and even pearls, knowing they were all wrong. He might've been a guy, but some stuff was universal. And then, he saw it. The Ring.

"I'd like to see that one," he whispered to the saleswoman behind the counter. "Sade, come here."

"Did you find one?" she asked hopefully. "I don't see anything at all."

The saleswoman pulled up the velvet bed the ring was on and Sadie gasped. It was a square-cut, sapphire, set in between two small diamonds on a platinum band. The blue matched Jude's eyes and it had it's own uniqueness to it that made it different, just like the soon-to-be future Mrs. Quincy, or so Tommy planned.

"I'll take it," Tommy said firmly, without so much as a look of disapproval from Sadie. "What do you think?"

"I think you just bought the perfect ring for your future wife," she gushed. "It's fabulous."

"For you, yes?" the saleswoman asked Sadie while she rang up the purchase. "It's a lovely design."

"It's definitely not for me," Sadie assured her. "It's actually for my baby sister, Jude." She held up her left hand. "I'm married to his best friend."

"Oh," the woman chuckled. "Sorry about that."

"Blast from the past," Tommy grinned as he led Sadie from the store. "Sade, thanks for all your help today." He kissed her cheek and walked down the street, placing the small box in the pocket of his infamous leather jacket before discarding the bag and heading in the direction of the studio to catch the show.

"Hey," Kwest nodded as Tommy joined him, the band, Jamie, and Mason in the hospitality room, hovering over the radio. "How was it?"

Tommy patted his pocket discreetly. "I'm good."

"Nice," Kwest smirked, making room at the table for him. "The show just went to break but she's on next."

"Hey, guys, I'm Kris Luke and we're back with Jude Harrison, Canada's first and favorite Instant Star," the host said a moment later. "No offense to Mason, but you're just so infectious, Jude. I guess I can see what drew in heartthrob Tom Quincy."

Jude laughed. "Yeah, I guess I have some affect on him."

"Does she ever," Spiederman joked, dodging the crumpled up napkin Tommy threw at him. "The affect of you getting her pregnant."

"So, tell us your plans," Kris went on. "We haven't heard anything new from you in over a year, Jude. What's the deal?"

"Well, a lot has happened," she admitted. "After the second album, the picture fiasco erupted, and then I took a break from everything. By the time I was ready to get back into the studio, my producer, Kwest, was planning his wedding to my sister, so my music was side-swiped for a little while longer. Now, I'm back to working with Tommy, my third album is on it's way, and I plan on touring again sometime early next year."

"You and Tommy have always had an undeniable chemistry, yeah?" Kris suggested. "What took you so long?"

Her laugh caused Tommy to laugh. "Well," she began, "we're both very stubborn people and we wanted to do things each in our own way, so we had to dance around issues for quite some time."

"And now you're good?" he guessed. "Finished with the dancing?"

"Well, we still dance, but now we just dance together to music and not around a boxing ring," she teased. "I'm sure he loved that analogy cause he's dabbled in boxing a little, right, Tommy? You'd better be listening somewhere."

"Aww, she talks to you over the radio," Wally joked. "How Romeo and Juliet."

"Well, personally, I prefer Bart and Lisa, but whatever," Spiederman put in as the show picked back up.

"Now, rumor has it that there might be wedding bells in your future," Kris said lightly, as if talking about the weather. "Any truth to that?"

Jude froze on the show as Tommy looked at Kwest anxiously. There was no way anyone could have possibly know yet, right?

"We heard from a source just an hour ago that he was seen leaving the Valerie Snow shop this morning, placing a small box in his jacket," Kris clarified. "What do you know about that?"

"Absolutely nothing," Jude answered honestly. "If that's being said, it's wrong. We're so not engaged; I mean, I'm only 18." She knew that if Tommy got down on one knee and proposed, she'd accept in a heartbeat, but admitting that on live radio was personal.

Kris chuckled into his microphone. "Well, you all heard it hear first: Jude Harrison and Tom Quincy are not engaged...yet." He smiled at her. "Well, Jude, thanks so much for stopping in today and we expect nothing but big things in your future."

"Thanks," Jude smiled, pulling off her headphones. She spun around in her chair and looked to Portia who had accompanied her. "What was that?"

"No idea," Portia admitted. "Completely over my head."

"Yeah," Jude breathed, waving to the sound guys as they walked to the elevator. "I mean, he and I are just now sort of back together, so there's no way he'd propose already, right?"

"Would that be so bad?" Portia wondered, pushing the 'down' button. "I mean, you love him, don't you?"

Jude smirked. "I said he wouldn't, Portia, I didn't say I'd refuse."

"That's my girl," Portia grinned, emerging from the elevator. She sighed as she looked outside. "Paparazzi alert. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Jude answered, going forward.

"Jude! Jude!" they all yelled. "Are you and Tommy getting married?"

"Is that how my life is gonna be now?" Jude muttered, once safely inside the awaiting town car that would take them to G-Major. "Filled with questions and pictures?"

Portia nodded sympathetically. "It's the Tom Quincy Curse. He's practically a tabloid legend here, so if he's doing something cover-worthy, like dating Jude Harrison, they're gonna be all over it. When I married him, I got lucky with just a few sneak attacks cause I was just Darius Mills' little sister; you, Jude, are your own kind of famous, so good luck."

"Thanks," Jude groaned. "Man, sometimes I wish I'd have never won that stupid contest."

"You wouldn't know Tommy," Portia pointed out softly.

Jude nodded. "Yeah, but would that have changed my life? If I didn't know him, it wouldn't change anything for me."

"You don't believe in soul mates or fate or any of that stuff, do you?" Portia asked her. "Like there's only one person out there for everyone?"

"Not really," Jude answered. "I'm more of a 'go out and do it yourself' kind of girl. I don't like having things fall into place for me."

"Okay," Portia said, "but Tommy just kind of fell into your lap. Do you regret having nothing to do with that?"

"Definitely not," Jude scoffed lightly. "At first, I wanted to hate him cause of who he once was, but as time progressed, he became so much more than Little Tommy Q."

"Now he's your little baby's daddy," Portia teased. "Can you see yourself with him?"

"Forever?" Jude assumed. She thought about it. "Uhh, yeah, I can."

"Then that's all that matters," Portia told her wisely. "Everything else will just fall into place and you have to _let_ it."

When Jude got to the studio, she hurried past the paparazzi that was parked outside again and found the band sitting in hospitality. "Hello, kids."

"Nice show," Kyle told her, pushing a chair over so she could sit. "You seemed pretty comfortable on there."

"Cause no one could see me," she laughed. "I was practically sweating."

"Still hate interviews then?" Wally noted. "Well, maybe radio is your thing."

"Other than being Tommy's baby's mommy," Spiederman couldn't help but add. "Sorry, I've been holding that in and if I said it around Lord Squinty Frown, I'd probably lose my manhood."

Jude rolled her eyes. "Where is Lord Squinty Frown?"

"With Mason," Kyle explained, shoving a handful of Doritos into his mouth. "Darius is working on getting Mason a duet with some country singer named Taylor Swift."

"Never heard of her," Jude admitted, standing up. "Well, I'm off to find my 'baby's daddy,' so excuse me." She walked out of hospitality and ran into Darius. "Oops, sorry, D."

"It's cool," he said distractedly. "Is the band in there? Kwest wants them to start laying down music for your new songs."

"Yeah, they're there," she said as he made his way into hospitality.

"Hey, Big Eyes, get in here!" Tommy called out from studio B. "Mason's working on a duet and until we get this country singer, we need someone to fill in so he can hit his marks. You up for it?"

"Oh, a country diddy?" she joked, jumping for sarcastic joy. "Uhh, yeah, why not?" She followed him into the room and joined Mason in the recording booth.

"Aww, it's Canada's _favorite_ Instant Star," he teased, referring to Kris Luke's words. "I wasn't too offended."

"Hey, his words, not mine," she assured him, putting on a pair of headphones. "So, what's this song about?"

Mason let out a sigh. "Uhh, it's about falling in love with the wrong person, even if it's right."

"Well, I know absolutely _nothing_ about that," Jude joked, eyeing Tommy. "Cause I fell in love with someone so close to me in age and personality."

"Right, and Sadie woke up this morning and decided black was her new favorite color," Kwest muttered under his breath, standing at the door frame. "I know you wanted Jude's help with this, but if we're doing a double acoustic for 'Never Again,' Spiederman wants Jude to come to D and work on it before the guys work on '100 Ways.'"

"I feel like a puppet," Jude whined, taking off the headphones. "I'll come back as soon as I'm done with Spied." She kissed Tommy's cheek and followed Kwest out.

"So, when are you doing it?" Mason asked Tommy, sitting down on a stool in his booth.

Tommy stared at Mason through the glass. "What are you talking about, Fox?"

"Please," Mason scoffed, feigning a look of hurt. "I may be a guy, Tommy, but I'm gay, so I understand things slightly better than the Three Stooges," he added, referring to the boys in the band. "Now, I know that the little box in your jacket has a ring in it, so when are you asking her?"

"Soon," Tommy admitted, smiling at the thought. "I was thinking about getting a big group to dinner at the Old Seafood Factory. You know, that place outside with the entertainer she likes and the bad food but the good pizza place next door?"

"Can I come?" Mason asked. "I mean, she is one of my best friends. I was there when you announced her pregnancy."

"No, you weren't," Tommy remembered. "You were at some party for your step-sister."

"Well, if there hadn't been a party, I would've been there," Mason said. "Please, Tommy? I love this stuff."

Tommy sighed. "After I set everything up, I'll let you know."

"Sweet," Mason nodded. "Well, should we get to work?"

After Jude finished up with Spiederman, which took a lot longer than she'd expected, she noticed Mason in the lobby with Portia, so she made her way to studio B, only to find Tommy asleep at the soundboard. "I'm so glad you waited for me to come back," she scoffed, leaning against his back. "Jerk."

"Come on, Jude, I'm tired," he complained, sitting up right. "Do you have to tease me now?"

"Well, I guess not," she said, sitting down in the chair next to him. "So, you done in here? I saw Mason out there."

"Yeah, Darius came in and said that Taylor Swift will be here by Saturday, so we'll work on it then." He took her hand. "How do you feel about a big group dinner on Friday night?"

"What kind of group?" she asked warily. "The group we had last Friday?"

"No," he shook his head. "You, me, Sadie, Kwest, Spied, Wally, Kyle, Jamie, Patsy, Portia, and Mason."

She shrugged. "Why not? Where we going?"

"Old Seafood Factory," he reported, turning off the equipment. "So, I assume you drove again today?"

"No," she sighed. "Portia picked me up for the show."

"Well, then can a guy give you a ride?" he asked smoothly, leaning over to kiss her softly.

"I don't know how my boring boyfriend would feel if a hot, bad boy drove me home in his Mom-mobile," she chuckled.

"Boring?" he repeated. "That hurts."

"That's life," she winked, kissing him again. "So, I'll take a ride now and dinner Friday."

Tommy tenderly took her hand and led her outside to reveal that he had driven the Viper. "Bad boys don't drive Mom-mobiles," he whispered suggestively in her ear. "Sorry."

"Don't be," she whispered back, climbing into the front seat without opening the door. He hated that. "Mom-mobiles are kind of a turnoff."

"And what about when you're a mom?" he asked, starting the sports car.

She laughed. "What? Give up the Mustang? Please. The backseat is big and Darius had it all done nicely so the roof comes up when I need it to."

"A Mustang, though, Jude?" he said awkwardly. "Doesn't exactly scream 'I've got a baby in the backseat,' does it?"

"Well, I'm not gonna be the most conventional mom ever, am I?" she shot back. "I mean, lots of girls have babies at 18, but how many of them are in the spotlight, under public scrutiny?"

"True," he agreed, pulling into the apartment complex's garage. "So, how's the morning sickness?"

"Subdued this week," she told him. "But my mom says there will be days when it's so bad I just want to die."

"Well, don't," he joked, helping her out of the car. "I can't lose you again. Plus, you promised Sophie you would stick around now."

"Have you talked to Nic lately?" she asked, following him into the elevator. "Since her visit?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I talked to her about the baby, and we talk every few nights. I think things are getting better between us."

"That's good," Jude smiled, walking to her door. "Fighting with sisters never lasts; trust me, I know." Growing up with Sadie had brought it's advantages _and_ it's disadvantages. "Fighting solves nothing."

"I know," he said knowingly, staring at her for a minute. "Look at us."

"Hey, fighting worked for us sometimes," she pointed out, unlocking her door. "I wrote some of my best stuff when I hated you most."

Tommy eyed her. "Did you ever really hate me, Harrison?"

"I couldn't if my life depended on it," she smiled, kissing him softly. "Well, I'm thinking I'm gonna stay down here tonight, so I'll see you in the morning."

"What?" he whined, making a sad face. "You're not gonna keep me company?"

"Why, you wanna make twins?" she joked, knowing that wouldn't happen. "I'm sorry, baby, but I'm tired and I just wanna sleep in my own bed."

"Fine," he huffed, turning around. "I'll just see you in the morning."

Jude rolled her eyes and hurried to wrap her arms around his waist from behind. "Come on, Tommy, don't be mad. They say 'absence makes the heart grow fonder,' you know."

"Yeah, but haven't you and I had enough distance in our relationship to last a lifetime?" he asked quietly, turning back to face her. "I mean, my year in Montana, your month in New York, all our stupid fights in the first two years. I hate distance, girl."

"Me, too," she agreed softly, "but I'm only, like, fifty feet away, babe. Can I sleep in my own bed, just tonight?"

"I guess," he sighed, kissing her forehead. "Good night, Big Eyes." With that, he turned once more and walked to his penthouse.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: So, I can't help but update this all the time because I want to start posting the sequel but I can't until this one is done. And just so everyone knows, the sequel is a little different in the focus of the story, but I like it. And once again, I love my reviewers.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

The following morning, Jude woke up, felt the urge, and rushed to her bathroom to throw up.

"Subdued, huh?" Tommy smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "Not so much anymore."

"Gross," she groaned, wiping her mouth with toilet paper before flushing the toilet. "I already hate this."

He leaned down and pulled her hair back. "It'll be okay, Jude."

"If it's so okay, then you do it!" she yelled, turning on her shower. "Give me fifteen minutes and I'll be ready to go."

After a long, hot shower, she threw on a pair of sweat pants, a hooded sweatshirt, and an old pair of athletic flip-flops.

"Oh, pulling out the big guns today, huh?" he joked, hugging her tightly. "You look like you just walked off a runway."

"I feel like I just had my stomach pumped," she muttered. "Can we just go?"

"Uhh, meet me down at the Viper," he suggested. "I've got a phone call to make." Jude shrugged, grabbed her bag, and left her apartment as he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?" a groggy female answered. "At 7:15 in the AM, this had better be important, whoever you are."

"Good morning, Nic," he laughed. "It's lovely to hear you sounding so chipper."

His sister yawned. "What do you want, Tom? I had a late night at work."

"Yes, working as a magazine editor must be tiring," he joked. "So, listen, if you'd like to be a part of the happiest day of my life, I highly suggest you get up here by Friday afternoon."

"Why?" she asked warily.

"I'm proposing to Jude, you idiot," he scoffed, walking out to the elevator. "Allen is up here for more business, so I'm sending Sophie home with him until Monday. Now, will you come?"

He heard her sigh. "I guess so. If it's important to you that I come, I'll be on a plane tomorrow night."

"Come up with a story about why you're here if you see her," he demanded. "That's crucial."

"Sorry, I was never the liar of the family, that was you," she joked. "I'll just tell her I'm looking into moving up there, cause I actually think I am. Allen and Lydia are great, but I feel like I'm still a kid here with them; I need to branch out on my own and the magazine has an affiliate up there that I can work for."

"Nic, that would be awesome," he told her sincerely. "Maybe we can work out some of the stuff that's frozen our relationship?"

She started to protest, but stopped. He was right. "Whatever. Well, I'll call you when I land tomorrow. Later." She hung up and went back to bed.

"Who did you have to call?" Jude asked from her spot, leaning against the hood of the blue Viper. "You'll see Kwest in five minutes, you know."

"It wasn't Kwest," he told her, unlocking the doors and turning off the alarm. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it."

Jude leaned her head against the headrest, trying to figure out who he'd had to call in such secrecy. They'd never been two to share everything, they usually didn't have to, but not knowing drove her crazy.

"Good morning, guys," Jamie smiled when Jude and Tommy made it to the studio a few minutes later. "Jude, you're absolutely glowing."

"I hate you," she snapped, making her way to hospitality for coffee. "I hate all of you."

"What a gem in the mornings," Sadie joked, coming up behind the two boys. "Jamie, Liam is looking for you; I think I heard him say something about having his shoes polished." Jamie rolled his eyes and hurried off, leaving Sadie to talk with Tommy. "So, how are the plans for Friday coming along?"

"I got her to agree to go," he answered, opening his mailbox. "And I talked to Nic this morning and she'll be in tomorrow night. Allen is up here doing some business deals and he's gonna take Sophie back to Montana with him until Monday, so we're all set for the weekend."

Sadie smiled dreamily. "I remember when Kwest proposed to me; it was the best day of my life."

"Better than when you fell in love with me?" he joked, opening some random fan mail that made it to his work.

"I never actually loved you," she pointed out. "I loved Little Tommy Q, not Tom Quincy; Jude is the one who fell in love with Tom Quincy." She ran a hand messily through his hair. "And if you're wondering why the proposal was better than the wedding, it's because that was the day I knew I'd spend the rest of my life with Kwest; the wedding just made it all official." She winked and walked out to studio A to find her husband.

"So, got anything to work on today, girl?" Tommy asked her once he'd dragged her into studio C. "Lyrics, music, anything?"

Jude pulled her journal from her bag and flipped to a full page. "I've got this. I think the bridge could use some work, but other than that, it'll be something different than the first two ballads I did."

"What's it about?" he asked, taking the book from her.

"Finally being okay with where my life is going," she explained. "Like everything is falling into it's perfect place now."

He smiled at her. "Sounds like a hit."

"Well, I hope so," she sighed. "If it's not, Darius will just blow an artery and threaten to drop me in my third trimester."

"Ooh, using pregnancy jargon," he teased, tousling her hair. "I find that incredibly attractive, Harrison, and if we didn't have to work today, I'd lock that door."

"God," she muttered, unable to hide her smile. "You're perverted, Quince."

"I try," he laughed as she walked into the recording booth. "You wanna just lay down the words and you can work on music with Kwest and the boys at a later date?"

"I suppose," she agreed, putting on her headphones. "Whatever works for you."


	21. Chapter 21

The following day, after spending another seven hours at G-Major, Tommy's phone rang as he sat in his Range Rover, waiting for Jude to hurry out of the studio from her quick meeting with Darius about the album progression.

"Hello?" he answered tiredly.

"I'm here," Nic said, walking through security at the airport, disregarding the evil glances for being on her cell phone. "Are you gonna pick me up or do I need to actually ride in a cab?"

"Umm, I'll be there in 15 minutes," he told her as Jude got into the car. "I'll call." He hung up.

"Call who?" Jude asked, putting on her seatbelt.

"Uhh, Nic is back in Toronto," he told her. "She's looking into moving up here and stuff, so she's up for the weekend."

"That would be awesome," Jude noted. "I didn't get to talk to her much, but I liked what I got to know, other than her breaking the news about Sophie."

"She's a character," he agreed, heading for the airport. "I wish sometimes she'd start to settle down, but then I think of myself at her age and stop wishing."

Jude laughed. "Maybe she'll meet someone up here?" She stopped as a thought popped into her head. "I've got it!"

"No," Tommy denied, reading her mind. "I will not allow my baby sister to hook up with your psychotic lead guitarist. There's no way."

"Oh, come on!" she scoffed. "They'd make a cute couple, Tommy."

"Jude, she's two years older than him in age and about ninety in maturity," he said, switching lanes.

Jude stared at him dumbly. "Tommy, you're seven years older than me and I'm about ninety older than you in maturity, so you can't play the 'age' card with them."

"I know but they have nothing in common," Tommy pointed out. "You and I have music and our chemistry. Nic is working on a novel and is an editor for _The Chronicle_, while Spiederman is a rock star and sleeps in Ninja Turtle pajamas."

"Wow, Nic works for _The Chronicle_?" Jude asked in awe. "Some of today's biggest authors had their stuff published there first: Lauren Weisberger, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King. That's a prestigious publication."

"Who knew you knew so much about publishing?" he teased, pulling into a parking lot at the airport. "We'll see about Nic and Spied, but for tonight, can she stay at your place and you stay with me? I don't really want to put her up in a hotel and the guest room at my apartment is covered in boxes I _still_ haven't unpacked."

Jude nodded as they got out of the car and walked inside. "I cleaned this morning, so it should be okay for her."

"There she is," he stated, pointing Nic out in the crowd. "Little Nicole."

'Little Nicole' was wearing lime green Victoria's Secret sweat pants cut off at her calves, a plain white t-shirt, yellow flip-flops, and her signature black sunglasses that covered her flawless face. She was definitely a Quincy: gorgeous and with an air of arrogance. Her long dark hair was flat-ironed straight and even though she'd just gotten off of a two hour plane ride, she really did look like she'd walked off the runway.

"I hate your family," Jude muttered, watching Nic practically float towards them. "She makes me want to go to KFC and just eat myself into oblivion."

"Hello, hello," Nic smiled, hugging her brother. "Jude, it's nice to see you again."

"Yeah," Jude nodded. "So, Tommy decided you could stay at my apartment tonight and I'll stay with him so you don't have to go to a hotel."

Nic smiled and Jude saw the resemblance between the brother and sister in front of her. "Thanks, Jude. It's nice of you to give up your bed and have to sleep with him cause I'm sure he still snores like a troll with a cold."

"Ahh, and the past comes back to haunt me," Tommy joked, picking up Nic's Kate Spade luggage. "I see that you're paid well."

"Hey, I buy that which I need," Nic shrugged as her pink Motorola Razr phone rang. "Hello?" she answered. The other end spoke. "Joe, I took the weekend off to come up to Toronto to look at apartments so I can come do the job you turned down." More silence. "Oh, shut up." She closed her phone. "My boss," she explained. "He would die without me."

"Sounds like you have the same kind of relationship I have with him," Jude laughed, pointing at Tommy. "He'd die if I wasn't around."

"Probably so," Nic agreed, "but Joe is married with three lovely children while I'm living in a crappy apartment five minutes away from my aunt and uncle, all alone and bored out of my mind. Apparently, it's illegal to be between the ages of 18 and 45 and live in Montana."

Tommy led the girls back to his car and after loading Nic's stuff, headed back towards his and Jude's apartment complex. "So, Nic, you should come out to eat with us tomorrow. It'll be me, Jude, Kwest, and some others. Oh, and probably Portia."

"Sure," Nic smiled, knowing what the dinner was for. "Sounds fun."

After getting Nic settled into Jude's apartment for the night, Tommy and Jude settled themselves onto his couch to watch _Say Anything._

"Gotta love these 80's classics," Jude grinned, fitting herself underneath his arm. "Good movie here, but _The Breakfast Club_ still takes the cake."

"So you keep telling me," he replied, wrapping his arm tightly around her. "You think Nic will like it up here? I mean, we grew up in Toronto, but she was 10 when my dad died and my mom moved her to Montana, so it's probably a big adjustment for her."

Jude shrugged. "Yeah, but if she's a Quincy, she'll cope just fine. Plus, once we hook her and Spied up, she won't want to leave."

"Or, she'll want out so fast that her dingy apartment in Montana will look welcoming," he teased. "And I said we'd see about Spiederman."

"Yeah, yeah," Jude muttered as the movie started.

Spiederman raced up the stairs towards Jude's apartment, making lots of noise, not caring about waking up the neighbors. He burst through her door and hurried back to Jude's bedroom. "Dude!" he cried, shaking her comforter. "You're nominated for a Juno!"

To his surprise, the girl in black underwear and the pink tank top that pulled her head out from under the pillow wasn't Jude.

"Am I really?" she joked sarcastically. "And I always thought those were musical awards," Nic scoffed. "I'm honored."

"You're not Jude," he finally said, trying to divert his eyes to the wall above her head.

"Nope, sorry to disappoint," Nic apologized. "Try Tommy's."

Spiederman left the apartment in a daze and made his way into Tommy's, again letting himself into the bedroom, praying they were sleeping and not 'in the act.' They were. Sleeping, that is. "Dude, there's a half-naked chick in your bed."

"Spied?" Jude yawned, sitting up. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we had a late night at the studio with Kwest and as we were leaving, Darius got a call from some guy he knows and you've been nominated for a Juno," he explained. "I came to tell you and found some incredibly hot, naked chick in your bed that wasn't you."

Tommy sat up now. "You saw my sister naked?" he fumed. "I'll kill you."

"I didn't know she was your sister," Spiederman whimpered, taking a couple steps back. "And she wasn't totally naked; she had on underwear and a tank top."

"Oh, my God, I've been nominated for a Juno?" Jude cried, letting the words sink into her head. "Me? A Juno? That's practically a Grammy!"

"You deserve it, girl," Tommy smiled, kissing her softly. "Now, back to you and my naked sister," he went on, turning his attention back to a very scared Spiederman. "Was she sleeping?"

"Uhh, yeah," Spiederman nodded nervously. "But she woke up when I barged in; she's sarcastic, just like you, Lord Squinty Frown."

"Spied, I highly recommend you not joke right now," Jude advised. "And Tommy, I'm sure Nic was okay with it. It's not like Spied meant for that to happen. I mean, you were just looking for me, right?" she asked her guitarist. He nodded. "See? No harm done."

"Right," Tommy murmured, leaning against his headboard. "So, a Juno, huh? That's impressive."

"Yeah," Spiederman nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, I'm gonna go now."

"Bye, Spied," Jude smirked, watching him leave the room. She looked back at Tommy. "Way to help the Spied/Nic situation, dear."

"Come on, Jude, he saw her half-naked!" Tommy cried. "That's not exactly good basis for a relationship, you know?"

"Oh, chill," she told him, falling back into the bed. "Now, go to sleep."


	22. Chapter 22

**Here it is, the proposal. Yay.**

Darius had given them Friday off, so Jude and Tommy spent the day working on lyrics of their own, trying to even write a duet.

"Have you ever thought of doing a music video again?" he asked suddenly, putting her journal on the coffee table in his living room. "I mean, after 'Waste My Time,' and all that happened with Shay, you stopped in the video department."

"Cause they're for pop princesses like Britney Spears and Eden," Jude pointed out. "They have no musical talent so they have to dance in videos to make up for it."

He smiled. "And what about those boy bands?"

"Them, too," she nodded jokingly. "Why bring it up anyways?"

"Well, videos may seem like they take a few days, but they take a lot longer, so to sort of halt the recording I know you're getting tired of doing all the time, why not shoot a video for a song from your second album that's still on the charts a year later?" he reasoned, playing with her hair. "According to Nic, in the States, 'Natural Disaster' is big right now, so you could do that."

Jude shrugged. "I don't know if I want to be in a video really. I mean, that song really tells a story and I don't wanna act it out."

"Then don't," he replied. "Hire some actors to play the parts and then the video can cut to you and the guys in, like, the background, sitting around, playing the song. If you wanted to find a girl to do it for free, I can talk Nic into it."

"I'll think about it," she offered, taking the journal into her hand. "Now, let's work on this duet."

Jude watched out the window of the Range Rover later that night as Tommy drove her and Nic to the Old Seafood Factory for their big dinner. Along the riverfront, the scenery was much different than that of what she saw all the time downtown, so she liked to take in as much as she could.

"Ready?" Tommy asked her, parking the SUV. "I think everyone's already here."

"Great, just another notch on the 'Jude's always the last to arrive' wall," she muttered sarcastically, taking his hand and following him to the big table their friends had acquired. "Hello, everybody."

"Hi," Sadie smiled brightly, pulling out a seat next to her. "How's your day?"

"Fine," Jude answered. "Tommy thinks I should make another music video for 'Natural Disaster,' and hire actors to tell the story while me and the guys sit around and play it." She looked to Nic with amusement. "And he wants _you_ to play the girl."

Nic scoffed. "Oh, does he? Well, he's an idiot, so I'll let that lapse in judgement slide."

The dinner went off smoothly and Tommy got more nervous every second. He gripped the small, velvet box in his pocket tightly and sighed.

"It's now or never, man," Kwest said quietly into his ear. "Trust me, I know how you're feeling, but you gotta do it."

"Right," Tommy agreed, feeling everyone's eyes on him as he stood up and made his way to where Mike, the entertainer, played on his stage. He whispered something in his ear and Mike stepped down obligingly. "So, uhh, I know that most of you came here tonight to enjoy your meal and listen to Mike play for you, but uhh, I came for a different reason. See, I've known that girl there, Jude, for almost four years and it hasn't been easy." He stopped while everyone at their table, including Jude, laughed. "For a long time, I was afraid to tell her how I felt cause I was so afraid of the age difference between us. But she wasn't. Then I was afraid of how the people at our studio would react if we ever became a couple. But she wasn't. Everything I was and am, she's not and vice-versa. Anyways, we've had a lot of rough patches in our time together, mostly in the last year, but we've beaten them, mostly because _she_ always knew we could." He pulled the box out. "So, uhh, if I could get Jude up here now, this would be less embarrassing."

Jude stared at him in horror. She knew what was in that box and it scared her to death.

"Go!" Sadie and Portia forced, pushing her out of her chair.

Tommy smiled and helped her onto the stage before getting down on one knee. "Jude Elizabeth Harrison, I know how much you _love_ all things cheesy, so I'll cheese this up as much as I can," he teased, opening the box to reveal the sapphire. "It would make me the happiest man on the planet, girl, if you would take this ring and become my wife. Jude, will you marry me?"

Jude gasped. "Tommy," she breathed, pulling him up. "I can't believe you planned all this. Nic coming, everyone joining us, the place."

"I could really just use an answer right now," he smiled, looking around. "We'll talk about the set-up later."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Yes, of course!"

Tommy put the ring on her, kissed her passionately, and swung her around while everyone that had been watching applauded and their group stood up and cheered wildly.

"It's about time!" Spiederman yelled out. "Lady Squinty Frown. I like the sound of that."

Sadie hugged her baby sister. "This is so exciting!" She hugged Tommy. "I told you the ring was perfect."

"You picked it out?" Jude asked. "And just when I'd thought Tommy knew me well enough."

"He did," Sadie assured her. "I know you picked mine out, so I went with him to help, but I couldn't have done any better, Jude. The guy knows you."

"Aww," Jude grinned, leaning over to kiss him. "How lovely."

"So, after all that, here's what I'm thinking," Tommy said. "Why don't you move in with me now and Nic can move into your apartment?"

"So that's why you proposed?" Jude asked knowingly. "So your sister could have my apartment?"

He shook his head. "That's only about 60 of the reason why." She hit his arm. "No, of course not. I just thought it was a good idea."

"Sure," Jude agreed. "Nic, if you want it, my apartment is now your apartment."

"Sweet!" Nic nodded. "It's a great place and I can get Maria to do my laundry."

"Nic, you're 21 and can't do your own laundry?" Kwest teased. "Grow up, woman."

Nic smirked. "Hey, if my aunt wants to offer to do it while I'm still living near them, I'm not complaining. Plus, who does the laundry at your house, Kwest? You or Sadie?"

Before he could lie, Sadie jumped in. "Me. He wouldn't know how to separate whites and colors if I hung a poster on the wall in front of him."

"That I believe," Nic nodded triumphantly. "Plus, I ususally wear things once and toss them."

"Rich kid!" Spiederman coughed. "Oh, excuse me."

"Funny," Nic told him. "And sure, I guess I take money for granted, but so does Tommy. It's just how we were raised, I suppose."

"She's right," Tommy nodded. "I've tried to change, but I still do things that aren't considered normal."

"Like buy really overpriced cars," Jude put in. "And motorcycles, of course."

"And engagement rings," he joked. "I won't even tell you how much that cost."

Jude's face darkened. "Was it a lot? I don't need an expensive ring, Tommy."

"You're worth it," he assured her. "And Jude, it wasn't that pricey, I promise."

"It better not have been," she muttered, looking to her sister. "Was it?"

Sadie shrugged innocently. "I didn't pay, so I don't know."

"Well, I trust you, so you better not be lying," Jude warned him. "So, is everyone done here?"

Mason stared at her. "What's the hurry, Jude? Re-runs of _Saturday Night Live_ or something?"

"No," Jude answered, "I'd just like to spend a night alone with my future husband." She grinned at Sadie. "It is fun to say that."

"So, is everyone ready?" Tommy asked, getting her point. He pulled his keys from his pocket. "Alright, Jude, Nic, I'll run to get my car and I'll pull it up." He walked away, his back to the street, smiling at Jude. He didn't see the car speeding to the spot he was standing in.

"TOMMY!" Jude screamed, rushing towards him as the Mustang slammed into him. "NO!"

"Oh, my God!" Nic exclaimed, rushing to her brother's side. "Tommy!" She shook him gently. "Someone call 911!"

Jude started sobbing uncontrollably, allowing Sadie to pull her into her arms. "Why? This isn't supposed to be happening, Sadie, not to us."

A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived and Nic allowed for Jude to ride with Tommy while she followed in the Range Rover with Sadie and Kwest.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: So, after this three chapter update, there will be a four chapter update and then this story will be completely up and it's on to the sequel. Before the sequel, I'll have to give a background chapter first because a lot has changed and it takes place almost two years after this one ends. And to everyone who reviewed, you're the reason I post as often as I do.**

**Disclaimer: You know it, I know it, Linda Schyuler (or however you spell it) knows it. I don't own _Instant Star_. But man do I wish.**

"Jude," Sadie said when they found her in the waiting room in ICU. "What's happening?"

"Umm, I don't know," Jude answered, still crying silently. "He was rushed into a room and I haven't seen a doctor or nurse come out since." She collapsed into a cold, metal chair. "He's gonna be okay, he has to." She took a deep breath. "Umm, Nic, I need you to call your aunt and uncle, tell them what happened, and ask them to keep Sophie until I can arrange for her to come home. Then, when you go home tonight, Maria is '3' on his speed dial, so call her and let her know she's not gonna be needed for a while."

"Jude, take it easy," Kwest advised. "Let's just find out what's going on before you start making all these plans."

No sooner than he said that did a young female doctor emerge from Tommy's room and walked towards them. "Uhh, who here is family?"

"I'm his sister," Nic spoke up. "And she's his fiancé," she added, referring to Jude, who was now gripping the handles on her chair so tightly her knuckles were turning white. "What's going on?"

"I'm Doctor Smith and your brother got here just in time," she explained politely. "He's suffered some head injuries and has a lot of bumps and bruises, but he'll survive and that's what's important here." She looked at her watch. "Visiting hours are over for the night, but as his sister, you may stay."

Nic looked at Jude and saw fresh tears start to fall. "No, I want her to."

"She can't," Dr. Smith said. "Immediate family only."

"Do you know who that man in there is?" Nic demanded, her inner Quincy coming out. "That's Tom Quincy and this is Jude Harrison." She reached over the counter of the nurses' station and handed her a tabloid with a picture of the two of them on the cover. "Now, as his sister, I'm authorizing to allow Jude to stay with him, not me, got it?"

Dr. Smith nodded. "Fine. You may go in now," she addressed Jude. "It's a private room and he's sleeping, so you may sleep in the spare bed."

Jude nodded mutely, hugged Sadie, Kwest, and Nic, and slowly opened the door to his room, terrified of what she was going to see. "Oh, Tommy," she breathed, looking at his nearly lifeless body. His face, even covered in scratches and bandages, was still perfect and Jude, again, started to cry as she ran a hand down his cheek. "Please wake up soon cause we've got a wedding to plan now." And with that said, she climbed into the bed next to his and cried herself to sleep.

"Hi," Nic whispered the next morning when Jude woke up. "How you doing?"

"I didn't sleep much," Jude admitted tiredly. "I spent most of the night thinking I was dreaming but when I woke up, I wasn't." She looked down at Tommy, who was still out. "Has he woken up? Did a doctor say?"

"He hasn't," Nic assured her. "He's got a sixth sense when it comes to you, so I'm sure he knows you were sleeping and didn't want to wake up for anyone else."

Dr. Smith cleared her throat at the door. "Well, I don't mean to be the barer of bad news, but he may not wake up for awhile, girls. See, we discovered a small hemorrhage in his brain this morning, so we had to put him into a medically-induced coma." She smiled weakly. "I know that sounds bad, but it's better than him fighting to wake up right now." She excused herself to answer a page.

"Great," Jude muttered, settling into the chair next to his bed. "It just figures the universe would do this to us," she scoffed. "We finally take the biggest step in our relationship and are forced to fall back a mile."

Nic grinned and sat down on the couch near the window. "Well, I called Lydia and Allen and they said keeping Sophie with them was probably smart and Maria said to send her love to you and that if she's needed, you can reach her anytime, day or night."

"Okay," Jude nodded. "Umm, do you know if Sadie and Kwest are coming today?"

"Kwest has a meeting with Darius and Liam to talk about you taking time off but then they'll be here," Nic reported, looking at her Chanel watch. "It's 10:15 now and the meeting was at 9:30, so I'd say they'll be here by 11:00 or so."

Jude nodded. "I just want Sadie to go to my apartment and pack me some stuff to bring here cause I have no intentions of leaving anytime soon."

"Look, Jude, I know that Tommy means the world to you, but you heard Dr. Smith: he's gonna survive," Nic reminded her gently. "Don't put your entire life on hold to be here 24/7."

"He _is_ my entire life," Jude whispered, scolding herself for starting to cry again. "Sure, I love my music and whatnot, but it's nothing without him. And I love my family, but when I'm fighting with Sadie or not talking to my parents, he's always been the one for me to lean on. I don't know what to do without him. I don't even know who I am without him."

Nic sympathized. "I know it's not quite the same situation, but I felt the same way when my mom was institutionalized. I mean, she was my rock and the one constant in my life. Like, my dad died and then Tommy got famous, so it was just me and her. Finally, she snapped one day and I was alone. Sure, I had Allen and Lydia, and Tommy always said he was a phone call away, even during his messed up days, but I was so dependent on my mom that I couldn't bring myself to accept anyone else like that. I try to visit as much as I can, but her doctors say that'll just make it worse for her."

"That's what Tommy said," Jude remembered. "Umm, we decided to name the baby Alexandria if it's a girl and call her Lex."

"That's nice," Nic smiled. "My mom will like that. And if it's a boy?"

"Jordan," Jude told her. "I don't really know why, other than it came to me one day."

For the next 15 minutes, the two girls sat in silence. Jude just held Tommy's hand and prayed to whoever listened in her head that he would be able to wake up soon while Nic tugged nervously at her non-existent split ends, silently begging that Jude survive however long he was out. Even though she'd only known her soon-to-be sister-in-law for a short period of time, she genuinely saw Jude as someone she could count and rely on in a way she'd never done with many people. She really saw why Tommy loved her the way he had for years.

"Miss Harrison, your sister and brother-in-law are here," a passing nurse said, leading Sadie and Kwest into the room later that morning. The nurse checked Tommy's vitals, wrote them on her clipboard, and left.

"Hi," Sadie smiled, rubbing her sister's back. "How's he doing?"

"Well, they found a hemorrhage in his brain, so he's now in a medically-induced coma until they can get in and fix it," Jude reported mechanically. "And I need you to go to my apartment, pack me up a bunch of stuff, and bring it to me tonight, too."

Kwest looked down at his best friend and shook his head. It wasn't supposed to be like this, not at all. Tommy was supposed to marry Jude and then the four of them would live next door to each other in big houses for the rest of their lives, taking vacations with their kids and celebrating holidays together. "Do you guys think I could talk to him for a minute?" he finally asked, clearing his throat. "Alone?"

"Sure," Nic nodded, standing up. "Come on, Jude, we'll go call Sophie and just tell her that Tommy's working." Jude and Sadie followed her out into the hallway.

"Man, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" Kwest asked, sitting down in Nic's vacated seat. "You are getting incredibly good at halting everyone's lives around you, you know? You left, came back with Sophie, lied about her, got Jude back, proposed, and had to get yourself put into a coma. You really love attention, don't you? Is that why you and Sadie couldn't work, you both loved the spotlight? No, it was Jude, nevermind. Anyways, man, when this brain hemorrhage is fixed, you have to wake up immediately cause Jude can't handle this. She's 18, pregnant, and ten minutes after getting engaged, her fiancé gets hit by a car. A 40-year-old couldn't even handle all that." He sighed. "Look, I know you love Jude, you have since we first met her, so if you love her so much, and Sophie and the unborn baby, you have to stop thinking about yourself and wake up for them." He chuckled. "And we always thought Tom Quincy was invincible. To be honest, it's nice to know you're not."

Suddenly, the door opened and Jude came in by herself. "Sadie and Nic are going to my place and I didn't want to sit out there alone, so I came back. I can sit in the bathroom and turn on the blow-dryer if you'd like me to."

"No, it's fine," Kwest said. "I was just telling him to stop being so selfish all the time."

Jude laughed and it hurt. She wanted to be able to smile and laugh at things, but how could she when Tommy was laying right in front of her, in a coma? "Yeah, well, I'd settle for him just waking up and still be selfish right about now." She sat back in her chair. "We, uhh, we called Sophie and had to act like everything was completely fine and when I was hanging up, she told me to tell him that she loves him and I had to hang up cause my heart broke." She wiped away at the few stray tears that were forming at her eyes. "She's only five, Kwest. How am I supposed to tell her that her dad is sleeping indefinitely and I don't know when he's waking up?"

"Hey," he whispered, walking around the bed to hug her. "I know this is hard but the Jude Harrison, soon-to-be Quincy, that I know is strong enough to overcome all this."

"Well, the Jude you know usually had Tommy next to her," Jude mumbled quietly. "Even when he wasn't there, with the right call, he would've been." Her head fell into her shaking hands. "I hate this, Kwest, I absolutely hate every millisecond of this."

"I know," he nodded. "We all do."

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking quietly, mostly to each other, sometimes to Tommy. Sadie and Nic brought her back a big duffel bag full of her clothes and accessories, along with her iPod and books.

"Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, Miss Quincy, visiting hours are over for the day," Dr. Smith told them that night, coming in to check on him. "You may come back tomorrow morning at 8:30." She looked to Jude. "You're welcome to the shower in the bathroom if you choose to stay again."

"Yeah," Jude said. "Thanks." She hugged Sadie, Kwest, and Nic. "You don't have to be here with me all the time, so don't clear everything out for me, okay? Nic, you need to get to your magazine and Kwest, the boys and Patsy will have you doing double-time for a while."

"Good night, Jude," Sadie said, kissing her sister's cheek. "I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon with some real food for you."

Jude sighed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. The warm water beat down on her and she tried to drown out everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. All except the engagement. What had been the happiest day of her life had turned into the worst. When she finished, she put on a pair of cotton pants, a hooded Hurley sweatshirt, and her red flip-flops and went back to his bedside. "Well, I haven't really gotten to talk to you much yet, so now's as good as time as ever, I guess. So, I had Nic call your aunt and uncle and ask if Sophie could stay there until I can arrange for her to come back, so she's still in Montana. I did call her and tell her that you were working and she said to tell you that she loves and misses you." Again, she was crying. "She's so sweet, Tommy, and I know you know that, but I'm learning that and I'm so glad to know her. She's gonna be such a great big sister in seven and a half months and I can't wait to raise our family together." She paused. "That's right, together, so you have to wake up soon. I know you can't right now, but Dr. Smith said you're scheduled for surgery tomorrow night, so as soon as that stupid hemorrhage is fixed, I expect you to be up and fine, alright?" She took his hand. "I can't do this all without you. When you left, I thought that I had grown up so much and didn't need you, but now that you're back, I realized I was just putting up a wall I knew only you could break down. And you did." She kissed his cheek and climbed into her bed, falling asleep to the steady beeping of his IV machine.


	24. Chapter 24

"Miss Harrison, an OR has cleared this morning, so we're gonna take him in now," Dr. Smith said early the next morning, shaking Jude gently. "This is an all day operation, so you may want to find something to do."

Jude shook her head adamantly. "No, I'll stay here; it's fine." She watched as two male nurses came in and prepared to wheel Tommy out. "Could I have just a minute with him?" Dr. Smith obliged and pushed the nurses into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. "So, this is it," Jude told him, stepping next to his bed. "They're gonna fix whatever's wrong with your brain, even though I didn't think that was possible, and you're gonna wake up and we're gonna plan our wedding." She kissed him softly and motioned through the window in the door for them to take him away. "Be good to him."

"We will," Dr. Smith assured her. "He's in good hands."

Sadie stopped by at noon with takeout from Calamity, Nic sat with her for a while, and the boys came after they left the studio with a box of cupcakes and drinkable coffee. After worrying the entire afternoon, Jude was ready for Tommy to be done in surgery.

"Miss Harrison," Dr. Smith said evenly, letting herself into the room later that night. "How was your day?"

"No offense, but can we cut the small talk?" Jude demanded quickly. "I'd really like to know how everything went, Dr. Smith."

Dr. Smith smiled. "It was a successful operation, Jude. The hemorrhage was removed and we've relieved him of the coma, so he should wake up like normal in the morning. Now, be warned he'll be incredibly tired and worn out, but by this time next week, you can take him home."

"Oh, that's great!" Jude gushed as the door opened again and Tommy was brought back to her. "Thank you so much, Doctor." The doctor and nurses left, so Jude pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello?" Nic answered. "Jude?"

"He's gonna wake up in the morning!" Jude cried. "The operation was fantastic and he already looks so much better."

Nic breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, Jude, that's awesome. Now, I hate to cut this short, especially since it's the best phone call I've had in a long time, but I spent the rest of my day at the new office, fighting with the editor-in-chief about my position; I swear, I can totally understand how that girl from _The Devil Wears Prada_ feels. I'll be there in the morning, Jude."

"Bye," Jude smiled, hanging up. "Alright, baby, you made it through, so when I wake up, you better be drinking coffee and reading the morning paper." She kissed Tommy's cheek and fell asleep in the chair next to his bed, clutching his hand.

"Jude," Tommy whispered the next morning. "Big Eyes, wake up." He shook her gently, partly not to scare her, partly cause it hurt to strain himself. "You said I had to be up and I am, so it's your turn." She didn't budge. "Fine," he sighed.

"Tommy!" Nic cried, letting herself into his room. She quieted down at the sight of Jude. "Oh, sorry." She hurried to hug him carefully. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he admitted. "And yet, happy. Man, Nic, I'm gonna marry her," he said, looking at Jude. "And there's no way I'm gonna mess it up anymore. I can't." He leaned against his pillow. "Did you call Allen and Lydia?"

"Late last night," she nodded, sitting down in the chair by his bed. "Allen's got some business deal to finish, so Sophie's coming up with him; I agreed for her to stay with me while you're still here, but I figured that since you'll be fine that she could see you. I'll just tell her something more mild happened that she can understand without freaking out."

He nodded slowly. "That's good. I can't wait to see her." He looked at Jude again. "Is it bad if I'd rather her wake up though?"

"No," Nic smiled, shaking her head. "You guys just got engaged, Tommy. Being with her for the rest of your life should be something that's important to you." She grinned mischievously. "So, what can you tell me about Spiederman?"

"Oh, God," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Please, Nic, tell me you have no feelings for him outside of friendly?"

"I don't know?" she shrugged innocently. "I just met the guy, Tom. Yesterday, I was here with Jude while you were in surgery and the band stopped by, right? Well, he and I went to get her some magazines in the gift shop and we just talked. He's nice."

"Sure he is," Tommy smirked. "Nice, and immature, and childish," he added. "Nic, he puts thumb tacks in beds, fills luggage with cottage cheese, and throws model airplanes at Vipers. Vincent Spiederman is not exactly your type."

"You don't know my type though, do you?" she shot back sweetly. "I mean, we haven't exactly lived in the same country since I started dating, have we?"

"Good point," he chuckled. "Well, he's Jude's lead guitarist and front man of The Spiederman Mind Explosion, who is going solo now, too. Umm, he and Jude dated for a while, and he's like her big brother, even if he acts five. He's a good _kid_ and even if he doesn't know right from left, I would approve if I had to."

"Thanks," Nic stated triumphantly, noticing Jude stir. She stood quickly. "I'm gonna go get coffee and the paper, so have a lovely reunion with your fiancé."

Jude woke up and looked around. Her back hurt from the position she'd slept in, but seeing Tommy sleep, knowing he would wake up soon, eased her. "Hi," she whispered. "I know you're sleeping, but I'm glad you don't have to be."

"I'm not," he smirked. "I just wanted you to be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes."

Like she'd done so many times in the last few days, Jude started to cry as she kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied softly. "And I'm sorry for doing this to you."

"I'm just so glad you're awake," she assured him. "When the doctor said you were put into a coma, my heart stopped for about two minutes straight."

"Oh, Jude," he muttered, holding her close. "Jude, I'd never leave you like that; there's no way."

She wiped away her tears. "I know, but this time, it might not have been your decision."

"If it's about you, it's always my decision," he told her confidently. "I could die and would still come back to tell you I love you. But Dr. Smith was in this morning and she said I'm doing incredibly well and should be able to go home by Thursday." He scoffed. "Oh, Nic was in here this morning before you woke up and forget about hooking her up with Spiederman."

"Ugh, why?" Jude complained. "I was already planning their first date."

He shook his head softly. "Because they're doing it all on their own; she asked me about him."

"Yay!" Jude exclaimed. "See, I told you they'd make a great couple."

"Who knew?" he shrugged lightly. "The editor/author and the rock god? Not exactly Nicholas Sparks-worthy, is it?"

"Oh, and the underage musician and her worldly, of age producer is?" she teased. "Not every great romance has to be something that can be accepted, Tommy. If it were, life would be so boring. I mean, can you imagine your life without me? You'd just be some old man with a kid and his lust for the past."

He eyed her. "Yeah, cause going back to being an idiot boy bander is something I miss so badly. And what about you, huh, Harrison? Without me, you'd be a no-name girl with a lot of emotion and nowhere to dispense it."

"Then I guess it's pretty dang good we met," she laughed, climbing into his bed. "I know this probably hurts you, but I've missed being close."

"Me, too," he agreed, happy she'd done it. "This is the best medicine I could have."

The door opened then and Nic came into the room. "Aww, how sweet."

"Isn't it just?" Spiederman added, following her in. "I have coffee and doughnuts for ya, dude." He set the box and cup on a side table. "Good to see you awake, Lord Squinty Frown."

"Thanks," Tommy smiled. "And I'll even pretend you stopped calling me that."

"Yeah, that's not happening," Spiederman assured him. "Plus, with Lady Squinty Frown now, it just sounds better." A thought hit him. "Oh, and Baby Squinty Frown! A trio!"

"You're friends with him why?" Tommy asked Jude.

She shrugged against him. "Who knows?"

"I resent that!" Spiederman remarked. "Oh, and Kwest and Sadie are on their way here."

"Alright," Tommy nodded. "So, when should we start talking about the wedding? I mean, my first one wasn't exactly conventional."

Nic laughed. "I say you should probably get out of the hospital first."

"Duh," Tommy replied dryly. "I just mean, do we want it sooner or later?"

"Honestly, I'd prefer to fit into a dress that's made now than having to have one made for my fatness," Jude said. "So, before I'm a whale would be preferable."

The door opened again and Sadie and Kwest came in, also baring gifts in the form of Sophie.

"Daddy!" she squealed, rushing to his bed. "I missed you!" She looked around. "Are you sick, Daddy?"

"I was, but I'm better now," he assured her, hugging his daughter tightly. "How was your trip?"

"Aunt Lydia took me shopping and I got three new Barbie's!" she told him excitedly. "And Uncle Allen played video games with me."

"I bet that was fun," Nic laughed. "Cause Allen was always such a whiz at Pacman and everything."

"Pacman?" Spiederman repeated. "That's Jude's game, dude. The only one she's any good at, anyways."

Jude rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Spied," she intoned as everyone else laughed.


	25. Chapter 25

Tommy's days in the hospital went by fast and on Thursday, Nic took him and Jude home... to their home.

"Wait, all my stuff is here," Jude noticed, looking around his penthouse. "You all moved me?"

Nic shrugged. "It was Spiederman's idea, so we all pitched in on Tuesday and helped out. Me, him, Wally, Kyle, Jamie, Kwest, Sadie, Portia, and even Darius did it."

"Aww, you guys!" Jude gushed, hugging Nic tightly. "That's so sweet." She turned back to Tommy, who was sitting on his couch. "Tommy, we officially live together now, so think about how much you like that couch when we're fighting and I kick you out of bed."

He laughed. "I bought the bed."

"I'm pregnant," she shot back. "And that trumps purchasing."

"I have to say she wins," Nic agreed. "I mean, I've never been pregnant, nor do I ever want to be, but I'm sure that a baby is better than money."

Tommy stared at his sister in disbelief. "Well, never in a million years did I expect those words to leave your mouth. And not just about babies, but the fact that you said _anything_ is better than money is unbelievable."

"Hey, I'm not as superficial as I look," Nic defended herself.

"Says the girl with nine Chanel bags and every piece of luggage Louis Vuitton has ever made," Tommy added sarcastically. "Admit it, Nic: you're a spoiled princess."

"Fine," she huffed. "I'm a spoiled princess. Are you happy?"

"Are you?" he shot back. "I mean, growing up, you swore up and down you were just like everyone else, but you weren't. Neither of us were."

Jude interrupted. "Why were you guys so rich?"

"Well, my dad inherited his father's shipping company and sold it off, and our mother is just a French heiress," Nic explained. "So, we were raised to be spoiled rotten because our parents were raised that way, too."

"Yeah, but you lived up to that expectation much more than I did," Tommy pointed out. "I mean, you had all the tutors and teachers, while I dropped out of school for fighting. You graduated from Princeton while I boy banded my way to the top. You're a fancy magazine editor and I just produce lame, wannabe artists." He'd only said the last part for a reaction from Jude.

"Oh, is that all I am to you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "A wannabe? Fine." She headed for the door. "Then you can share a bed with your sister tonight while I spend one last one in my own, private place." She gave him a triumphant look and left the apartment.

"I love that girl," Tommy sighed. "Even when she acts like that."

"Like what?" Nic asked, sitting down next to him. "A child?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

The next morning, Jude woke up and sadly looked around her apartment. In her time owning it, she'd spent very few nights in it, so leaving it wasn't too hard for her. Sure, it held it's sentimental moments, such as her times with Tommy, and the dinner that explained it all, but she was finally marrying the man of her dreams and moving onto the next chapter of her life; the _best_ chapter of her life.

"Good morning," Tommy smiled from his seat, perching on her windowsill. "Sleep well? I hope, cause it was your last night in that bed."

"Was it?" she joked, sitting up. "Well, that's alright cause yours is more comfortable."

"After what I paid for it?" he scoffed. "It had better be."

Jude grinned and rolled out of bed, tightening the drawstring of her pajama bottoms. "So, anything exciting on the agenda today, Mr. Quincy?"

"I don't know, Mrs. Almost-Quincy," he replied. "I suppose you should go into the studio to keep Darius at a dull roar and I'll conference in from here."

"Oh, man," she whined. "Spending hours on end at G-Major with Darius and without you? That's like going to the movies and not having popcorn."

"Aww, you compare me to popcorn?" he teased, standing up to kiss her. "I feel so special."

Jude shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, Jamie's always gonna be Pop-Tarts, but since popcorn is a close second, you can have it."

"So, am I always gonna be second tier to him?" Tommy asked quietly.

"You never were," Jude answered. "Compared to you, Jamie's about ninth tier cause no one else comes close; he's just always been Pop-Tarts and it's too developed to change it now."

He pulled her into his embrace. "I appreciate that, Big Eyes."

"Good, cause I don't give out compliments that often," she told him, breaking away. "I guess if you're forcing me to the studio today, I should shower and go."

"Want some company?" he asked in a hoarse whisper, leaning into her. "Nic is watching Sophie for the time being."

Jude closed her eyes at the thought of it. They hadn't been alone together in such a way in ages, but he was still recovering, so she had to shake her head in disappointment. "Sorry, babe, but it's not good for you yet, so we'll have to wait." She kissed his nose and disappeared into her bathroom.

"Jude, good morning," Liam nodded half an hour later. "How's Tom today?"

"Up and about," Jude answered, waving to Portia. "I need to talk to you," she told her. "Seems I need to start looking for a long, white dress."

"Yay!" Portia squealed, rushing towards her. "Now, I know Sadie went all glam and elegant, so for you, I'm thinking vintage and different."

"Well, I was thinking last night that I just want to have something really small and intimate," Jude admitted. "I mean, I haven't talked to Tommy about it yet, but Sadie and Kwest had the big blow-out, and that's not exactly me, so you know, that's that."

Portia nodded. "I completely agree. Why don't you and Tommy talk tonight, like, _really _talk, and then you and I can have a business lunch tomorrow?" she suggested.

"Sounds good," Jude agreed, walking to studio A, only to find Kwest working with Patsy. "Hello, all."

Patsy stopped singing, which to Jude, sounded more like yelling. "Hey, delinquent, how's your hubby?"

"Okay," Jude answered, sitting down at the soundboard next to her brother-in-law. "Did you ever think that when Sadie and Tommy dated that they'd become in-laws two years later?"

"I hoped," he laughed. "I never wanted her with him, for reasons beyond me just wanting her; he was kinda miserable knowing he couldn't have you."

"I know the feeling," she smirked, watching Patsy scream into the microphone. "You know, I really love watching her perform. I mean, Patsy has no inhibitions or qualms about anything at all and I totally admire her for that."

Kwest leaned back in his seat. "And you feel like you have inhibitions and qualms? Never in a million years did I think you'd say that."

"You think that I feel completely open when I know Tommy's out in the audience watching me, critiquing me? Please," she scoffed. "Sure, I know he's there to support me, but technically, he created me, so he's there to make sure I don't make him look bad and I'd never want to do that."

"He really has that affect on you?" Kwest asked. "Well, dang, kid."

"I know," Jude smiled softly. "Crazy, huh? Almost four years later and I still feel nervous and giddy around him."

"I'm sure the feeling is reciprocated," he assured her, playing with some buttons. "So, anything happening with the wedding yet?"

Jude smiled. "Portia demanded that I talk some stuff over with Tommy tonight and then she and I are having lunch tomorrow to talk dresses and stuff."

They spent the rest of the day working, recording unfinished stuff to fill time, joking around with SME. She hadn't had a day like that at G-Major in a long time and it felt good.

"Yo, Jude, get in here!" Darius yelled, breaking her almost perfect day. "We've gotta talk!"

"Yes, D?" she grinned sweetly, sitting down in one of the two chairs opposite his desk.

"While you were having a cushion fight out there," he started sternly, "I was in here, talking with Tom about you shooting a video."

Jude groaned. "Oh, man, he told you?" she whined. "We were just talking and throwing around ideas when he brought that up. What all did that charming fiancé of mine have to say about it?"

"He's already planning it," Darius explained. "You're doing 'Natural Disaster' and he somehow got Nic to agree to play the female role." He paused. "Strangely, she only agreed to do it if Spiederman plays her opposite and you sit in the background, playing the lead guitar."

Jude sat back in her chair, smirking. "Okay. If you get Spied to do that, I'll do it."

"I'm glad you say that cause he's agreed, as well," Darius smirked, knowing he'd beaten her at her own game.

"What?" she groaned. "Oh, man." She slumped down. "I should've known he'd do it if it involved Nic."

It was Darius' turn to sit back in his chair. "So, Spiederman and Nic, huh? How's Tom feel about that?"

"He doesn't," she answered. "He's pretty much ignoring it."

"Doesn't see her for years and yet when she picks a guy he's on weird terms with, it's like he raised her himself," Darius noted. "He's a brother, so I can understand."

"Right, cause you were so happy when Portia married him," Jude joked. "But, that's all the past, you and Tommy are like best friends now, and if Nic likes Spiederman, yay!" She stood up. "So, when can I expect the video to start?"

He looked at his computer. "I'll let you know."

When Jude got home that night, all the lights were off and Sophie was already in bed. She found Tommy in his office, wearing his glasses, doing something on the Internet that he immediately closed when she walked into the room.

"Hmm, that's not too suspicious," she laughed, walking around to massage his shoulders. "Can I ask what you were doing?"

"Uhh, no," he answered, allowing her to settle in his lap. "So, you talked to Darius, I presume?"

She turned to him with a stern look on her face. "Yes, you sneaky, little back stabber. You got everyone to agree, knowing I'd have to do it in the end." She pouted. "That's not nice to do to a pregnant girl."

"Sorry," he apologized softly, kissing her forehead. "So, I got a call from Portia today, telling me we have to talk about the wedding tonight so you guys can lunch tomorrow."

Jude walked around the desk and sat in one of the bean bags on the floor. "So, let's talk. I was kinda thinking I don't want anything big; and I want it to be kinda soon."

"Good, so was I," he nodded, turning off his computer. "During my hours of nothingness today, while Nic took Sophie to the park, I talked with this guy I know on the recreational committee for the city and he can get us Dunstan Park for early next month."

"Really?" she asked, finally getting really excited that the ball was rolling on the plans. "Did you tell him that was good? You know I don't care."

"I know and I did," he confirmed. "September 2, you in a white dress, me in a tux. Should be a nice day."

"I'm sure it will be," she agreed, unable to contain her smile. "I love you."

"I love you more," he shot back quickly. "And you know I do."

"Cause I'm so loveable," she teased. "So, I think we should have our reception in Darius' backyard. That's something I can talk to Portia about cause she can get him to agree."

Tommy considered it. "A backyard thing, nothing fancy? Sounds perfect, girl."

"Okay, one more thing," she spoke up. "Since we're getting married in September, in a park, what if it was really casual and laid-back? As in, casual enough that I don't wear shoes?"

"Oh, ulterior motives?" he laughed, standing up. "That sounds good. I think in that case, we should throw out the tux thing and I'll just wear like a linen suit or something. Now, bridesmaids and ushers or just Sadie and Kwest?"

"Just Sadie and Kwest," she replied. "If that's okay?"

"Definitely," he said, helping her up. "Now, let's go get something to eat for the two of you," he said, referring to the baby. He touched her stomach. "I can't wait until it's born."

"Yeah, skipping the next seven months would be fabulous," she smirked, following him downstairs to the kitchen. "The getting fat, horrible morning sickness, swelling. I can't wait," she muttered dryly.

"You'll just be even more beautiful," he said, knowing how cliche that sounded. "Sorry, that was bad."

She nodded. "Yeah, it was." Then she smiled. "But I love you for trying."

Jude sat at the bar while Tommy made them both grilled cheese sandwiches, watching him work effortlessly. Sometimes she still felt like she had to pinch herself at how lucky she was to have him; other times, she just wanted to laugh. For crying out loud, he was the front man of a cheesy 90's boy band and she was rock princess. He spent more time in front of the mirror on his hair than she did. Even though he was a relatively messy guy, his side of the closet was way cleaner and more organized than her side. But, he was smart and funny and absolutely gorgeous, thus the need for pinching.

"Jude?" he called over his shoulder, breaking her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she answered. "Yeah?"

"Thanks," he said.

She furrowed her brow. "For what, babe?"

"Everything," he replied, putting a plate in front of her. "For rescuing me."

"Rescuing you?" she repeated, trying not to smile. "From what? The fire-breathing dragons and six-headed monsters?"

"No," he laughed. "From myself."

Now she was straight-up confused. "Care to explain?"

"When I met you, look at who I was," he started, sitting down next to her. "Some punk kid with a want for the past and a need for prestige. I was tired of being 'Little Tommy Q' and I only saw you as a way out of that. Of course, when I agreed to help Georgia, I expected some girly little diva, sorta like Eden." He stopped to chuckle. "I've never been so wrong in my life. You were this fiery redhead with heart and soul like I'd never seen before. You challenged me and drove me crazy and yet, I fell in love with you. Of course, we obviously hit speed bumps and road blocks along the way, but we made it out alright. So, for that, I thank you." He leaned over and kissed her.

"Hey, it's no problem," she shrugged nonchalantly. "It was a walk in the park."

"Cocky," he smirked, taking a drink of his Coke. "If I'd have known you'd react like that, I wouldn't have told you."

"If I'm cocky, I get it from you," she joked."Everything I am, other than gorgeous, I probably picked up from you."

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Nic asked, letting herself into the apartment. "Sorry, I need some milk. I haven't shopped and Jude obviously never did, so my macaroni won't taste good if there's no milk." She walked into the kitchen and retrieved the full carton from their fridge. "So, what are you all doing?"

"Discussing the wedding," Tommy explained. "September 2, mark your calendar. Oh, and don't be mad, but we're just gonna have Sadie and Kwest as the wedding party, but we want you just as involved as they are."

Nic shook her head. "No, thanks. The magazine up here is a mess and I've got a lot to do, so you all plan and do whatever and I'll do what I can, but I don't really have time to help that much. Sorry," she apologized. "Besides, weddings seem to be right up Sadie's alley."

"True that," Jude laughed. "She's been reading bridal magazines since birth so she could plan a wedding blindfolded and it would be flawless. That's the beauty of Sexy Sadie."

Nic sighed. "So, because our family is Catholic, I assume you'll have the baby baptized?"

Jude looked to Tommy with interest. "Oh, are we?"

"I'd contemplated it, but never brought it up," he shrugged. "Sophie isn't baptized, so I wasn't sure you'd even want to. I mean, we do the whole Godmother and Godfather thing, so I didn't know if you'd be up for that."

"Why not?" Jude said. "Me and Sadie aren't baptized or anything, but if you are and it's important to you, it's important to me."

"I was hoping you would say that," Nic smiled deviously. "See, I knew Sophie wasn't baptized and I figured you'd want Sadie to be the new baby's Godmother, so I was hoping you'd have both kids baptized and I could be Sophie's? I really love that little girl."

"Sounds like a plan," Tommy nodded. "Well, if Sadie is the baby's Godmother, Kwest should be the Godfather."

"Okay," Jude agreed, "but what about Sophie? I mean, she needs a Godfather."

Tommy grinned. "I have an idea. Since Kwest is my best friend, you can pick the Godfather by elimination. Tomorrow, why don't you take her to the studio and see who she gets along with better: Jamie or Spiederman? Decide from there."

"A challenge?" Jude chuckled. "If I told them, it would be funnier, but not telling them, watching them interact with a five-year-old? Hilarious." She smiled to herself at the thought. "Spied will be teaching her how to properly aim a water balloon by lunch and Jamie will be explaining Freud by mid-afternoon."

Nic left soon after, leaving Jude and Tommy to finish their dinner before falling asleep on the couch, watching _Drop Dead Gorgeous_.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Alright, I'm bored and just sitting around, so I'm just gonna go ahead and finish posting this story.**

**Disclaimer: For the last time of The Comeback, I don't own _Instant Star_ and everyone knows it.**

"Jude, hey, wake up," Tommy shook her gently the next morning. "If you're taking Sophie with you today, you should probably start getting her ready."

"Alright," Jude yawned, sitting up. "But she's pretty up in the mornings. Way more than I am, anyways."

Sophie was sitting up in her bed when Jude walked in, playing with her dolls.

"Hi, Jude," she smiled brightly, waving excitedly. "Are you staying home with us today?"

"Actually, Soph, I was wondering if you'd like to come to work with me today?" Jude asked, sitting on the edge of the girl's bed. "Kinda like a girls day away from your dad?"

Sophie giggled uncontrollably. "Yeah! He just sat in his office yesterday, playing on his computer. Aunt Nic came over for a little while though and we went to the park and played House."

Jude tried to imagine Jamie and Spiederman playing House. "Well, you can come watch me sing and play with Kwest and Darius, okay?"

"Okay!" Sophie cried, running to her closet. "I'll get dressed!"

Jude smiled and walked down the hallway to her and Tommy's room, discarding her clothes as soon as she shut the door.

"Well, that's something I'd like to see daily," Tommy smirked from the door of their adjoining bathroom. "Oh, wait, I do."

"There you go again," she started, "you and your jokes." She pulled a pair of jeans and long-sleeved white t-shirt from her closet. "So, want me to wear a hidden camera so you can watch what goes down with Sophie, Spied, and Jamie?"

Tommy grinned. "I think I'll probably stop by later today for lunch or something. You want anything special?"

"Ooh, Taco Bell," she nodded. "I've been craving."

"Oh, God, the cravings begin," he teased. "Next it'll be pickles dipped in chocolate sauce or peanut butter."

Jude made a face. "Eww, pickles and chocolate? More like pickles and Cheez Whiz."

"Hmm, yummy," he joked. "Well, you two should go and I'll be in around noon. I think I'm gonna call my aunt and uncle and see if they can make arrangements to get here for the wedding."

"Okay," she said, kissing him softly. "I'll see you later then." She grabbed her purse and found Sophie in the living room, putting on her tennis shoes. "Soph, are you ready?"

"Yeah," Sophie agreed, taking Jude's hand and leading her to the elevator. She played with Jude's ring. "It's pretty."

"I think so, too," Jude smiled. "You know, when the baby is born next year, we're gonna have the two of you baptized." She pushed the 'down' button and knelt down to Sophie's level. "Do you know what that means?" Sophie shook her head. "Well, it means that your aunt Nic and one of my good guy friends will be your Godparents."

"What are Godparents?" Sophie asked curiously.

"Well, basically it means you get double presents at Christmas," Jude answered. And other than that, she didn't know much about baptism. "You can talk to your dad about it."

Sophie, painfully to Jude's ears, sang along to the old Jessica Simpson song on the radio during their short ride, while Jude focused on not changing the channel to upset her. Now she understood why Tommy got so upset when she played with his radio in the Viper.

"Aww, you brought Miss Sophia," Portia grinned upon their arrival at G-Major. "How's it going?"

"Good," Jude answered, suddenly remembering her lunch with Portia. "Oh, can you watch her for a minute? I gotta go call Tommy real quick."

"God, you're engaged and suddenly you can't go ten minutes without talking to him?" Portia laughed, taking Sophie's hand and leading her away to her office.

"Hello?" Tommy answered, a smile on his face. "Miss me already?"

"So, I know you're coming up here for lunch and all, but I completely forgot I'm having that wedding lunch with Portia, so you don't have to bring me Taco Bell," she told him. "Sorry."

He laughed. "It's cool. Maybe I'll talk to Darius about having the reception at his place; it would secretly hurt his feelings if we relied on Portia to snag the grounds."

"Good idea," Jude agreed. "Okay, well, I've gotta go find Kwest to talk about music for 'Stop Running' and 'In A Heartbeat.' I love you."

"I love you, too," Tommy replied. "I'll try to catch you this afternoon." He hung up, leaving her to find Kwest and SME in studio C, messing with the soundboard.

"Well, I'm glad that time is still money around here," she joked.

"Dude, I love 'In A Heartbeat,'" Spiederman gushed, replaying her rough track through the speakers. "And if you don't let us do a full set, we're quitting."

"Okay, sure," Jude shrugged. "I don't really think it was much for acoustic anyways."

While the boys recorded the track, Jude walked into the lobby to set her plan into action.

"Hey, Soph, why don't you sit here for a minute while I run to the bathroom?" she said, standing up from her seat on the couch where she'd been playing with Sophie's hair. She walked down the hall to the women's restroom, stopping Jamie in her path. "Hey, can you sit with Sophie for a minute? Pregnancy calls."

Jamie nodded nervously and approached the couch with caution. He wasn't exactly Mr. Rogers and his few interactions with children weren't exactly perfect. "Uhh, hi, Sophie, I'm Jamie; I'm a, uhh, friend of Jude and your dad's."

"Hi," Sophie said quietly. "It's nice to meet you."

"So, what do you think about your dad and Jude getting married?" Jamie asked her. "Are you happy?"

Sophie nodded. "Yes. I love my daddy and I love Jude and they love each other, so I'm happy."

Jude, who'd been watching from around the corner, felt tears take form in her eyes. She'd never heard Sophie say she loved her, but she loved Sophie, that was for sure.

"Do you like it here?" Jamie asked. "In Toronto?"

Sophie shrugged. "I miss my aunt Lydia and uncle Allen, but Daddy is here and so is Jude and Aunt Nic, so I like it. Plus, I like Maria, too."

"And who is Maria?" Jamie implored.

"My nanny," Sophie answered. "She watches me while Daddy and Jude work." She smiled. "But today, Jude brought me with her."

"Jude's nice, huh?" Jamie stated. "We're good friends."

"She is nice," Sophie confirmed. "And pretty and smart and funny. Daddy never laughed until he was with her."

Jude wiped her eyes and straightened her t-shirt before walking back to them. "Hey, guys. So, Sophie, your dad is bringing lunch for you today while I go out with Portia, okay?"

"Okay," Sophie said.

Jamie stood up. "Well, Sophie, it was nice to meet you." He turned to Jude. "Cute kid. I gotta go find Liam." He walked away.

"He was nice," Sophie noted. "Is he gonna be my Godfather?"

"I don't know," Jude answered honestly. She liked the connection between Sophie and Jamie, but it wasn't electric. "We'll have to see."

At noon, as he'd promised, Tommy showed up with Taco Bell for him and Sophie.

"Aww, brag about it," Jude whined, watching him set the bag on the counter in the hospitality room. "Portia made us reservations at Wyndemere."

"That's a fancy place," he noted, handing Sophie a napkin. "Lucky for you, you're a celebrity and they won't kick you out for being under-dressed." He looked at her jeans and t-shirt. "And I mean _under-dressed_," he added jokingly.

"Aww, thanks, honey," she laughed, watching Portia leave her office. "Well, I suppose it's time for me to jet." She kissed him and then kissed Sophie's cheek. "Keep an eye on your daddy for me, okay? Keep him outta trouble."

"I will!" Sophie cried happily. "Daddy, I'm watching you," she warned.

"Yes, ma'am," he mock saluted her. "Have fun with Portia," he added to Jude, pushing her out into the lobby.

"So," Portia started, pulling out a leather bound notebook as she and Jude settled into their booth at the upscale restaurant 15 minutes later, "let's talk weddings." She waved to someone over Jude's shoulder. "Oh, good, Sadie's here."

"Great," Jude muttered. "Wedding details with Mary-Kate and Ashley."

Sadie took off her navy blue blazer and sat down next to Portia. "Okay, Jude, I know you were supposed to talk about your dress today, but I was given strict orders from Tommy this morning to postpone that conversation until tomorrow."

"Why?" Jude asked quizzically. "What does he care as long as I look good?"

"I don't know," Sadie shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

Portia cleared her throat. "Well, now that that's settled, why don't you fill us in on what you and Tommy have decided?"

Jude took a deep breath and nodded. "Well, it's gonna be September 2 in Dunstan Park and we're hoping for a reception in Darius' backyard cause it's big and we're not having that many people. Just family and close friends. Umm, Sadie and Kwest will be our wedding party and Sophie will be the flower girl, naturally. It's gonna be outdoors, so casual attire only. Like, I'm not wearing shoes and I think he's gonna go with a white button-up and khakis. I'm hoping my dress will cut off around my ankles so I don't trip over it, but I'll wear what I like. Umm, that's as far as we are."

"Then let's get to it," Portia smiled. "So, what kind of wedding gifts are you giving your guests?"

"Oh, we talked about that!" Jude remembered. "We'd like to give everyone silver, engraved frames and have photos taken with everyone and we'll mail them to them."

"That's a nice idea," Portia nodded in agreement. "Better than you all sending them just a picture of you two cause that's dumb." She opened the notebook. "Okay, I'm gonna help Sadie plan this, so you tell us what you want and we'll take care of it; pregnant women can't handle the stress of a wedding in three weeks. So, flowers?"

"Tulips," Jude answered. "Only pink or yellow, no reds or whites."

Portia scribbled furiously. "Food and cake?"

"Umm, I liked the catering company that did the yacht party," Jude mused. "With the Italian food? And as for cake, we prefer something subtle and chocolate."

"Good," Portia nodded, still writing. "Now, if you're going casual, that's about it. Sadie and I can handle getting the park set-up and whatnot. Will I be needed in getting Darius to let you use his backyard?"

"Hopefully not," Jude answered. "Tommy should be talking with him about it this afternoon, so it should all go over smoothly. That way, Darius won't have to buy us an expensive gift."

"Oh, he will no matter what," Portia assured her. "Two of his closest friends marrying each other? It'll cost a fortune, I promise."

Tommy knocked on Darius' door and entered, knowing he hated it, but it was his and Jude's thing; they never waited for anything.

"T, what's up?" Darius asked, motioning for Tommy to sit. "So, wedding plans are a go?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Tommy nodded. "See, the wedding is three weeks away and we're not doing anything big, just family and close friends, so renting a hall for the reception would be pointless and expensive for nothing. Anyways, what we were hoping was that since you're Darius Mills and you live on an estate, we could use your backyard as the site of the reception?" he asked.

Darius sat back in his chair and thought about it. For five minutes. "Okay," he finally agreed. "But only on one condition."

"Which is?" Tommy asked, knowing he'd regret it.

"You and Jude have to sell rights of photography to the magazine of my choice," Darius stated simply. "And then you can have my yard."

"Darius, come on, man," Tommy sighed. "This is my wedding day we're talking about here. I'd kinda like to keep it private, as would Jude."

"Those are my conditions," Darius said plainly. "Take 'em or leave 'em."

Tommy slumped over in his chair. "Can I at least talk to Jude about it first?"

"Sure," Darius nodded. "But I suggest you do it soon cause if she doesn't go along with it, you'll need to find a hall and fast."

"Yeah," Tommy muttered, leaving the office to return to Sophie. She was still carefully eating her cinnamon twists as Kwest ate Subway that Sadie had dropped off on her way to lunch with the girls. "So, I hate him."

"Who, Darius?" Kwest assumed, handing Sophie a napkin to wipe her face off. "What did he say? You can't use his yard?"

"Oh, no, we can use his yard," Tommy told him, "_if_ we sell photography rights to the magazine of his choice."

Kwest stared at him with his sandwich halfway in his mouth. "He wants you guys to let _People_ or _OK!_ to come in and capture your wedding day for all the world to see?"

"Jude's never gonna go for that," Tommy shook his head, sitting down next to his daughter. "God, I'm gonna have to look for a hall for, like, 50 people. What a waste."

"Well, you should at least talk to her about it," Kwest said. "Maybe she'll agree if she can convince him to let it be _Rolling Stone_ or _Spin_."

"Yeah, cause those magazines always cover _so_ many celebrity weddings," Tommy smirked. "She'll kill me for even suggesting it."

Before he could go on, Jude, Portia, and Sadie walked into G-Major.

"How did it go?" Jude asked him, joining the three of them in hospitality. "Do we have a reception site?"

"Possibly," he answered nervously. "Jude, you know Darius, so you know he doesn't do anything where he won't get something in return, right?"

Portia rolled her eyes. "Oh, God, what does he want you to do? Let him perform the ceremony?"

"Worse," Tommy answered. "He wants us to sell rights of photography to the magazine of his choice." He winced instinctively, waiting for Jude to strike. "I know, that's bad, but that's the charm of Darius Mills. I've already been thinking about places to reserve, don't worry."

"If he makes it _People_, I'll do it," Jude announced. "Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale had theirs in that magazine so it wouldn't make us total sell-outs."

Everyone in the room stared at her in shock. Jude Harrison, rock goddess, was allowing permission to un-privatize her wedding day? Something was definitely up.

"Look, this is my wedding day we're talking about," she explained, laughing at their expressions. "I don't care if I have to share it with the whole world as long as I get to marry Tommy. Plus, it'll drive one Eden Taylor crazy."

Sadie smiled. "Now _that_ sounds more like the Jude I know."

After talking with Darius, Tommy and Jude took Sophie home and spent the rest of the day in bed, watching old movies and classic TV shows.

"Oh, so at lunch, Sadie said you gave strict orders to not talk about my dress until tomorrow," Jude remembered, snuggling up to him. "Any particular reason why?"

"Well, I've arranged for you to meet face-to-face with an up-and-coming designer from New York," he reported. "She's edgy and hip, but with a vintage touch. I think you'll really like her; she's an old friend of a friend."

Jude closed her eyes. "Whatever you say, baby. Knowing you, it'll end up being Betsey Johnson or Carolina Herrera and you won't know the difference."

"I know who they are," he scoffed. "And this girl is only 18 and she's great. I think you'll really like her."

"I'll bet," she murmured. "Good night, Tommy."

"Good night, Big Eyes," he said back, turning off the TV.


	27. Chapter 27

The following morning, Jude was woken up by the sound of someone banging on their door.

"I'm coming!" she yelled, half buttoning one of Tommy's old shirts over her skimpy tank top as she padded down the hallway. "Spied, I'll kill you," she mumbled, unlocking the door. "Oh. My. God."

"Good morning, sunshine," Kat smirked, pulling a pair of oversized sunglasses off of her nose. "Already wearing his clothes? Cute."

"Kat!" Jude squealed, hugging her friend tightly. "Now it all makes sense! _'A friend of a friend._' You're designing my dress, aren't you?"

"Well, I don't usually do maternity wear, _Mom_, but I think I can make an exception for you," Kat said, allowing Jude to lead her into the apartment. "My God, pregnant, getting married, and not even 19? Crazy." She sat down on the couch and pulled out her sketchbook. "So, if I only have three weeks, we should probably start."

"Well," Tommy said, coming into the living room half an hour later, "she certainly doesn't _look_ like Betsey or Carolina."

"Huh?" Kat asked.

"Long story," Jude explained.

"How's the dress coming along?" Tommy asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Sexy and revealing?"

"Actually, I decided to go a more conservative and old-fashioned route," Jude teased. "Besides, you're not allowed to see it before the wedding anyways."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "That's a stupid superstition, Miss Harrison."

"One I believe in, Mr. Quincy," she shot back. "Now, find your daughter, run along to the studio, and tell them I'll be in later this afternoon."

"Yes, ma'am," he laughed, walking back to their room. Jude smiled and turned back to Kat.

"You're crazy in love, aren't you?" Kat asked her. "I mean, I know you've always been in love with him, but now that you know the feelings are reciprocated, it's a different kind of love."

Jude shrugged easily. "I guess so. I mean, we've both always thought about being at this place, but the fact that we're finally here just makes it that much better."

"And you're getting married," Kat sighed. "How celebrity-filled is the guest list?"

"Uhh, none," Jude answered. "Just family and close friends. Okay, Mason and the boys are famous, so I guess just them. And Darius, but he's not really famous. My parents, Don, Sadie, Kwest, Jamie, Patsy, his aunt and uncle, his sister, Liam. Maybe a couple of other people at the studio. My grandparents. Some old friends of both of ours. Oh, the Boyz Attack guys will be there and they used to be celebrities. All in all, only about 50 people."

Kat was staring off into space. "Huh? Oh, that's nice."

"Yeah, I saw you go into another dimension around the mention of Jamie and Patsy," Jude noted. "I assume you two haven't spoken in a while?"

"Over a year," Kat answered. "I'm still with Damon and I totally heart him, but being back here still makes things awkward. Plus, I _know_ I'm gonna see them together, so I should just get over it."

"Call Damon and invite him up," Jude suggested. "I'd like to meet him."

Kat smiled. "Maybe I will. First, I wanna get this dress done."

Tommy and Sophie walked into the studio a little late that morning, due to the fact that she was truly her father's daughter and couldn't find the shoes to match her t-shirt.

"Good morning, Lord Squinty Frown," Spied joked as the three of them met up in hospitality. "I'll have to think of something good for her," he pointed out, referring to Sophie. "Lord, Lady, and Baby are already taken, so I'll get back to you."

Sophie stared at him blankly. "What are you talking about?"

Spiederman laughed and knelt down to her level. "See, I made up a funny name for your old dad over a year ago and now that's he's marrying Jude and they're having a baby, I gave them matching nicknames, but now, I have to give you one cause you're their other daughter."

"Oh," Sophie nodded, covering a giggle. "You're silly."

"That's what we've been telling him for years," Tommy added, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "Okay, Soph, you saw Jude sing yesterday, but today, you get to see me work."

Spiederman faked a yawn. "Have fun, kid. His job is a real snoozer." He patted Sophie's head and walked away to find the rest of the band.

"What's a 'snoozer,' Daddy?" Sophie asked Tommy as he took her hand and led her to studio A.

"Well, it means that my job is boring, but it's not," Tommy promised her, sitting her in a chair next to Kwest. "See, in there, Mason is recording his new single. But, in order for it to be good and ready, Kwest and I have to make changes and alter it. So, without producers and engineers, there would be no music."

"Oh," Sophie nodded, not understanding him at all. "Okay, Daddy."

She spent the day bopping her head to Mason's song, but at 12:30, when Patsy came in, she wandered out into the lobby.

"Are you lost?" Spiederman joked as she sat down on the chair across from him as he lounged on the couch with his acoustic guitar. "Let me guess: Tommy got boring?"

"No, that scary lady came in," Sophie told him.

"Patsy," he said knowingly. "Yeah, we're all a little scared of her."

"Are you Spiderman?" she asked him. "I've heard Jude talk about you and I saw you on TV with her and my daddy and I've seen you around."

"Actually, it's _Spiederman_, but you can call me Spied or even Vin if that's easier," he offered. "And you'd be the only person really _allowed_ to call me that, kid."

"Is that my nickname?" she asked him. "Cause you keep calling me 'kid' and that's not my name."

Spiederman smiled. "Yeah, I guess it will be. You can be different from your parents." He stopped himself. "Sorry, I know Jude's not your mom."

Sophie was quiet. "No, but she will be kinda. I mean, she's marrying Daddy and I really love her, so if it's okay, I'd like to think she is."

"She won't mind," Spiederman assured her softly. "Jude really loves you, kid, and she'll be honored, I think." He strummed a chord. "So, do you play the guitar?"

"No," she shook her head. "I hear my daddy and Jude play it, but I just listen."

"Do you wanna learn?" he asked her, walking around the coffee table to sit on it, facing her. "I can teach you."

"Well, when I just had my daddy, I thought I wanted to learn, so I could play with him, but now I just like when he plays with Jude; it's their special thing: music," Sophie almost whispered. "But thank you anyways."

Spiederman bowed his head. "Anything for you, kid. So, are you hungry? I can at least make you lunch."

"Okay," she nodded, following him into hospitality. "What are we having?"

He picked her up and sat her on the counter. "Let's see," he murmured, looking through the cabinets. "I can do macaroni and cheese, or sandwiches, or pizza."

"Umm, how about sandwiches?" she replied. "I can help!"

Spiederman and Sophie spent the next ten minutes making a mess of the room, literally building themselves turkey, ham, and cheese sandwiches.

"Well, that looks dangerous," Tommy smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "What are you teaching my kid, Vincent?"

"His name is Vin, Daddy," Sophie told him. "And I'm kid." Tommy stared. "See, I needed a nickname and he kept calling me 'kid,' so that's my nickname now."

"I see," Tommy nodded, standing in front of her with a napkin. "Well, I see that he's also taught you his own version of table manners," he added, wiping the mustard and mayonnaise off of her face. "So, I was thinking that today, after we leave here, I'd take you to get a dress for the wedding?"

There was an amused scoff at the door. "You? Take her shopping? That's like asking Spied here to buy my make-up: dangerous." No one needed to turn around to know that Nic had stopped by. "I'll take her."

"Yay! Shopping with Nic!" Sophie squealed. "I had fun, Vin, but I'm still a girl."

"Vin?" Nic repeated with a smirk. "It's cute."

Spiederman walked over to her. "Just _cute_, huh? Well, maybe later, we'll have to do something about that," he whispered in her ear, leaving the room.

"What was that?" Tommy asked, standing next to her, watching Spiederman walk away to find Wally and Kyle. "A little innuendo?"

"I think it was," she laughed. "And I can't say I didn't like it."

Tommy shuddered. "Gross."

"Oh, shut up," she told him. "Come on, Soph, this credit card is burning a hole in my wallet."

"Has been since you were Sophie's age," Tommy joked. "So, nothing fancy and frilly, okay? Just simple and cute."

"Whatever," Nic rolled her eyes. "Let's go, baby," she smiled at Sophie. "We'll get ice cream to wash down that sandwich."

Spiederman returned and he and Tommy watched as the two girls left the studio and got into Nic's silver Mercedes.

"You like her, don't you?" Tommy asked.

"Sophie?" Spiederman joked. "Yeah, she's a cute kid." He laughed. "And as for Nic? Well, we'll see."

Tommy smirked. "Yeah, sure. We'll see you with her at the wedding, begging her to go back to your place."

"Cause my parents would really love that," Spiederman replied dryly. "Some of us still live at home, Quincy."

Jude and Kat finally rolled into G-Major sometime around 2:00, laughing and joking as if they'd never fought at all.

"Hey," Jamie said nervously from his seat on the couch where he was going over reports for Liam. "Kat, it's good to see you."

"You, too," she nodded politely, hugging him. "How have you been?"

"Good," he answered. "Busy," he added, referring to the folders in front of him, "but good. How about you? Jude said you're working for Prada?"

"I am," Kat confirmed, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite him. "But I'm here now to design her dress for the wedding." Suddenly, her cell phone rang. She looked down at the screen and then to Jude. "It's Damon," she whispered, walking down the hallway.

"Damon?" Jamie repeated.

Jude nodded. "Her hottie New York boyfriend. He's a writer and his first novel is gonna be published by Simon and Schuster. He's a great guy."

"I'm sure he is," Jamie said easily. "She should invite him out for the wedding."

"Wait, you're okay with all that?" Jude asked incredulously.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he replied. "I'm in love with Patsy, Jude, so Kat and I are gonna have to have a platonic relationship if we want one at all."

"I'm glad you're both going to be big about the situation then," Jude told him proudly. "We used to be the Three Musketeers and we can't let that just die." She patted him on the back and walked off to studio A. Inside, Kwest and Tommy were struggling to control the soundboard as Patsy screamed into her microphone about big industry and controlling administrators.

"Sounds like a hit," Jude teased, sitting down in a chair between them. "Darius will _love_ this one."

Tommy kissed her cheek. "I'm sure he will. How did the dress designing go?"

"Well, I can't tell you," she shrugged cutely. "But, I will say that the design is done and I cannot wait for Kat and Portia to have it made." She squealed lightly. "I've never been so excited about a dress before in my life." She leaned her head on Tommy's arm. "Where's Soph?"

"Shopping with my sister," he answered. "And I know I agreed to let you pick her Godfather, but it should definitely be Spiederman. He made her lunch today and she's in love."

"Aww," Jude grinned. "Well, I'll talk to him about it then and see what he says."

"Sounds good," he nodded. "So, do you wanna order pizza tonight? I was thinking we could do that and have a couple people over to play games or something?"

Jude shrugged. "Sure. But not a lot of people."

"Kwest, Sadie, Nic, and Spiederman?" Tommy said. "Is that okay?"

"Well, Kat's around and I would feel bad for leaving the rest of the band out," Jude sighed. "And Jamie would be offended; so would Portia. Good God, we'll just invite them all and figure something out."

"Our guest list went from four to twenty in 2.5 seconds," he joked. "Patsy," he said into his microphone, "you're good for the day."

She nodded and pulled off her headphones. "Cool. See you delinquents later." She waved and left the booth.

"So, Spiederman and Nic are definitely on the train to the Love Shack," Tommy joked, putting Patsy's rough tracks into their cases for the night. "I'm a little worried about her catching your bouquet at the wedding cause they'd definitely be Vegas people."

"Well, you'd know all about that," Jude teased, following him into the lobby where Darius was talking on his cell phone, furiously. "Oh, this can't be good," she muttered.

Darius hung up and looked to the couple. "Jude, we have a problem."

"Oh, man," she whined. "What?"

"So, I invited Shay to the wedding cause you'd both said that you had worked out your friendship when you were with him in New York and I figured you'd want him to come, right?" She nodded and he continued. "Well, he just called to tell me that he's bringing a date."

"So?" she laughed. "Your nephew has a thousand girlfriends, D."

"Not just any date," he corrected. "Eden."

Jude's heart dropped to her stomach. "What did I ever do to him?" she complained. "He's bringing _her_ to _my _wedding? I will absolutely not allow that, Darius. If he wants to bring her, he can save the airfare and stay in New York."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Darius muttered as the studio door opened behind her.

"Well, well, well, doesn't this bring back memories?" an icy voice asked.

Jude closed her eyes and let out a calming breath. "Tommy, when I turn around, I _highly_ suggest that Plastic Surgery Barbie not be behind me," she whispered, clenching her fists. "Remember, it's justifiable homicide."

"Oh, grow up, Jude," Eden Taylor sneered in all her bleach blonde glory. "You got the pin-up boy, you won the contest, and you're prettier." She stopped to laugh coldly. "Okay, so two out of three ain't bad."

"Yeah," Jude smiled tersely, turning to face Eden and Shay, who was on his Sidekick. "Shay, _friend_, can I speak with you? In private?" She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a corner. "Alright, I don't want to slap you, but if you don't have a good enough reason as to why you brought her, I will."

He sighed. "Look, Darius called, I needed a date, and all the others were busy," he answered. "I know it's bad but Darius thinks it'll be good press for you to allow your biggest enemy be in attendance at your wedding."

"Well, as lovely as that sounds, I could care less what Darius thinks!" she cried. "It's _my_ wedding, for Christ's sake! I'm giving him the stupid magazine!"

"And that floors me," Shay admitted. "I thought girls like Eden did that, not girls like Jude Harrison."

"Ulterior motives," she shrugged. "The magazine layout got Darius to let us use his yard for the reception." She sighed in defeat, too tired to fight. "Alright, she can stay and come, _if_ she swears on her Gucci bag to avoid me at all costs until the wedding." With a triumphant look, she marched past him and back to Tommy. "Are you ready? The air in here is suddenly being sucked away."

"Yeah," he agreed, taking her hand. "Let's go."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I think this might be my favorite chapter, only because it has good Nic and Spied moments and that couple is the focus of the sequel.**

Later that night, while they waited on everyone to arrive, Jude set up Pop Culture Trivial Pursuit in the entertainment room while Tommy and Sophie cleaned up the kitchen. Well, Sophie cleaned while Tommy talked on his cell phone.

"Yeah, hi, this is Tom Quincy," he said quietly and urgently. "We spoke on the phone a couple of nights ago and we'd talked about getting your artist here on the 2nd," he said, blocking Sophie from the conversation. "For a wedding?" The person on the other end spoke. "Oh, he'll do it? Great. I'll be in touch with more information. Thanks so much." He hung up and turned to his daughter, smiling brightly. "So, your dear old dad has just secured Jude the best wedding gift ever."

"What is it, Daddy?" she asked sweetly, hoping for an answer.

Tommy shook his head. "Nice try, kiddo. I know you and Jude get all giggly and secretive so I'm not telling you."

"Aww, man," she whined, sitting down on a stool at the bar. "I promise not to tell her," she pouted.

He kissed her cheek. "And yet, you're still not getting anything outta me."

"Nuts," she muttered as Jude came down the stairs. "Jude, Daddy's keeping a secret from us."

Jude raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, maybe Jude is keeping one from him, as well."

"Are you?" he asked in surprise. "You're not very good at keeping things to yourself."

"I'm not keeping it to myself, I'm just keeping it from you," she explained nonchalantly, pouring Gatorade into a cup. "Let's see," she continued, thinking about it. "Umm, Nic knows, as do Kwest and Sadie. In fact, I even told Darius for the fun of it."

Tommy laughed. "Well, I'm better at getting things out of you than you are me, so I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"I don't know," she shrugged playfully. "This is a doozy."

Before Tommy could respond, Nic let herself and the band into the apartment. "Good evening and salutations," she joked, setting a grocery bag on the counter. "You all got the pizza but we've got the snacks." She started pulling out Cheetos, Tostitos, salsa, and cupcakes.

"What is it with Quincy's and cupcakes?" Wally asked. "That's what we took to the hospital for him after he woke up and Nic's always eating one."

"We grew up on cupcakes," Tommy reported. "Our favorite nanny, Amelia, was always baking and cooking and we were her guinea pigs; cupcakes were her specialty."

"Well, those and jell-o shots," Nic joked. "She got me wasted when I was barely eight years old."

"Good times," Tommy remembered wistfully. "So, who are we missing?"

"Sadie, Kwest, Jamie, Mason, Kat, Portia, Patsy," Jude noted. "Pretty much still everyone."

"Oh, Jude, here," Nic said suddenly, pulling a piece of paper from the pocket of her jeans. "Anytime, day or night."

"Oh, great," Jude gushed, running back to her bedroom and shutting the door.

"What was that about?" Tommy asked, watching her go. "The secret everyone is keeping from me?"

"Uhh, yeah," Nic answered. "That would be it."

Spiederman's eyes lit up. "A secret? Tell me."

"Sorry, but I have a feeling that telling you would be like telling Sophie and that's _not_ a compliment," Nic replied. "Maybe someday."

"Hi, is this Lydia?" Jude said quietly into her cell phone, sitting down on her and Tommy's bed.

"Yes, it is," a warm voice said on the other end. "I expect that this is Jude?"

"It is," Jude confirmed. "It's nice to finally informally meet you," she joked. "Tommy, Nic, and Sophie all speak very highly of you."

Lydia chuckled on her end. "And of you, as well. Congratulations, dear, and Allen and I can't wait to be there for the wedding."

"That's why I'm calling," Jude explained, getting down to business. "Nic has done me the favor of talking with Alexandria's institution and they said that with the close watch and supervision of immediate family, basically you and Allen, that she could have a weekend pass to come for the wedding. And I know it's risky and dangerous, but it would mean more than anything to Tommy for his mother to be there that day."

"I understand," Lydia said. "Well, I'd personally like to speak with my sister's doctors first, but if all goes well, I believe that can be arranged. Now, does Tommy know you're planning this, Jude?"

"No!" Jude cried. "And he can't! He's planning some big surprise for me, I think, so I'm planning one for him."

"I think that's a lovely thought, dear," Lydia smiled. "Well, I'll be in touch with you after I've spoken to the doctors. Goodbye, Jude." She hung up, as did Jude, just as Tommy came into the room.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized sarcastically. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Jude deleted the number from her phone so he couldn't find it later. "Not anymore. Is anyone else here yet?"

"Everyone is," he told her. "Wanna talk about what you're planning?"

"Do you?" she shot back. "I didn't think so. Now, come on," she took his hand and led him back to the group. "Alright, games, anyone?"

"Isn't that why we're here?" Kyle asked, shoving a whole cupcake into his mouth. "We can only have four teams and there's thirteen of us," he counted.

Jude thought about it. "Okay, Nic and the band can be a team; me, Tommy, and Mason; Jamie, Patsy, and Kat; and finally, Sadie, Kwest, and Portia."

"Hey, why do they get four?" Portia asked. "That's unfair."

"Look at the team," Tommy smirked. "Those three barely count as one person, let alone three."

"Good point," Portia nodded, following everyone up to the entertainment room. "Oh, Tommy, a word?" she said, holding him back. "Did that number I gave you work out?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks," he told her. "It's gonna all work out fine." He sighed. "Jude won't know what hit her."

Portia laughed. "You make it sound like something sinister is gonna happen to her."

"Yeah, right," he smirked. "Now, if I could just figure out what she's keeping from me?"

"Sorry, can't help you there," Portia apologized. "Darius knows but I know not to ask him about it."

He sighed. "Well, the wedding is in less than three weeks so I think I can make it until then."

"Good luck," Portia offered. "From what I can understand, it's a whopper."

"Rub it in," he muttered, leading her up the stairs. "I just have to not think about it."

"Not think about what?" Jude asked as he settled down with her on a double-wide beanbag chair. "How lucky you are to be marrying me? Cause if I were you, I'd think about that all the time."

"Wow, that definitely just sounded like something Spied would say," Kyle laughed. "Or Tommy; maybe he's rubbing off on you?"

Tommy threw Spiederman a warning glance. "Don't even think about it."

"Hey!" Spiederman cried. "Just because I was planning on commenting Kyle's comment, doesn't mean you can call me out on it."

"Actually, yes, it does," Tommy confirmed. "It's my house."

"Uhh, it's now _our_ house," Jude corrected. "And, can we just start the game? Those of us who are pregnant get tired a little earlier than usual."

Patsy yawned and everyone looked at her funny. "Hey, don't get any ideas," she warned. "Jimmy and I always use protection, thanks."

"That's information I could've lived without," Sadie said pointedly. "Alright, as Jude said, let's just start the game."

An hour later, with Team Jude/Tommy/Mason in the lead, Team SME/Nic gave up.

"It's not fair," Nic whined. "You guys _obviously_ have no lives cause you know too much of this crap."

"Hey, maybe if you weren't always writing and reading, you'd have time to learn more pointless information," Tommy shrugged. "Now, are you girls gonna keep playing or do you forfeit?"

Spiederman looked at his team and nodded. "We quit." He stood up. "Come on, guys; I know where Jude locked the PlayStation." He led his team out of the room and downstairs.

"Uhh, you guys go ahead," Nic told them, stopping at Sophie's door. "I'm gonna sit outside for a bit."

"Want some company?" Wally offered, nudging Spiederman. "Go with her, dude," he whispered.

Nic smiled as she and Spiederman sat down on the two chairs Tommy had finally put out there. "So, your band isn't very subtle."

"It's not exactly their strong suit," he agreed. "They have good intentions, though."

"I see that," she nodded. "How's the solo album coming along?"

"Good," he told her. "I like being the actual front man and singing, but to us, there's still nothing like performing with Jude. I mean, she's pretty electric on stage; that's why I fell for her once upon a time."

"Yeah," she nodded. "You guys are pretty fun on stage, but off stage? A catastrophe waiting to happen. Don't get me wrong, you're great friends, but you don't fit the way her and Tommy do."

"I know," he agreed. "We're too much alike, I think. Her and Tommy are such opposites that they attract so much. I mean, when he got into arguments with other women, he just bought 'em stuff to prevent big fights; I mean, Sadie got a necklace and Portia got a freakin' Audi. But with Jude, if they fight, they _fight_. If me and her ever fought, we just laughed about it."

Nic sighed. "That's what I want, you know? To be able to fight and know it means something. That sounds completely stupid, doesn't it?"

"A little," he laughed, "but I get it. I know I'm only 19, so settling down shouldn't even be on my radar yet, but it is. I want to marry young and grow old together, like I know Tommy and Jude will. They'll go from Squinty Frowns to Saggy Frowns."

"You don't get the credit you deserve," she told him. "I mean, to everyone else, you're this ginormous goof with no ambition and a killer guitar rift, but you're not. Well, you are, but you're more; you just don't ever show it. Why?"

He shrugged. "I guess I believe in personas and that's just not mine. I'm the loveable lead guitarist and I like that. Sure, I'd like to be taken seriously a little more, but I'm totally cool with who I am and how I'm classified."

"How would you classify me?" she asked curiously, playing with her Ralph Lauren camisole.

He thought about it and leaned back in his chair. "How would I classify you? Well, I'd say that you're the gorgeous sister of one of the world's favorite boy banders. You graduated from Princeton, you're writing a book, and you're a great aunt to Sophie. But, you're a little cynical, sarcastic, and outspoken and yet, all that only makes you that much better."

Nic wiped a fake stray tear away from her face. "That's the nicest, and meanest, classification I've ever gotten." She leaned forward, stopping only inches from his face. "But, is that what you _really_ think of me?"

"There are people around," he murmured into her ear. "I can't say."

"You can at my place later," she whispered, standing up to walk back inside. "I think you've seen it before." She walked away, leaving him just less than speechless.

Sadie and Kwest, being the old married couple, left first and found a surprise visitor in the lobby.

"Carly, what are you doing here?" Kwest asked, seeing her sitting in a chair near the front desk. "It's pretty late."

"I've got to see him," she sobbed. "He needs to know how I feel."

Sadie nodded at Kwest to get their car, leaving her to talk to the crying woman. "Look, Carly, this isn't going to work; Tommy and Jude are getting _married._"

"But I love him!" Carly pleaded desperately.

Sadie, knowing it was a little rude, just laughed. "So do a lot of girls and women all over the world. But, I've said it before and I'll say it again: don't go between Jude and Tommy cause they choose each other every time. It's their charm and their connection. There isn't a girl on the planet, or guy for that matter, that's gonna pull them apart now. I'm sorry."

"But Sadie, I was so lucky," Carly whispered. "I was dating Tom Quincy."

"I know," Sadie assured her. "I felt that way a couple years ago, too. But, unless you're Jude Harrison, which you're not, he doesn't really care. I mean, he _cares_, cause he's not a bad guy, but it won't change how he feels about you."

Carly sighed. "Never did I think I'd see this happen. I mean, I have a PhD in psychology and sociology, I'm 24, and he picked the 18-year-old girl with a pretty voice." She smiled weakly. "Don't get me wrong, I know absolutely nothing of Jude or who she really is, but it seems a little odd to me."

"We always thought it was weird, but seeing them together, and how happy they really are, it's not," Sadie admitted. "Sure, he's 25 and she's 18; he's a producer and she's his artist; he has all this experience and she's practically a rookie. But, they share something deeper than any of us see. I'm her sister and I don't know what it is even. Maybe it's music, maybe it's a connection just between them. Whatever it is, it's strong and there's nothing anyone can do but accept it."

Jude and Nic stood in the kitchen, washing out cups, talking about the night they'd had.

"So, you and the guys were gone for a while," Jude noted, drying her hands on a dish towel. "Care to explain?"

"No," Nic replied, hopping up onto the counter. "Well, I'll tell you that Wally and Kyle played video games."

"And what of Nic and Spiederman?" Jude teased. "What on Earth did they do?"

"That's a story for another time," Nic smiled slyly. "A time when Nic's older brother isn't listening in the other room!" she called out a little louder. "Nice try, Thomas!"

He appeared around the wall. "Hey, can't blame a guy for wanting to know what his baby sister is up to and with whom, right? So, Sophie is sleeping and I'm tired." He walked into the kitchen and kissed Nic's cheek. "Think you can find your way home?"

"Gee, I don't know," she mocked, punching his arm. "Think you can make it to your room, old man?"

He made a face and looked to Jude. "Don't stay up too late; I hate when you come into bed after watching Conan O'Brien and I've been sleeping forever." He left the room, leaving the two girls to their conversation.

"Would I be right to assume that if I were to walk to your apartment right now, a certain guitarist of mine might just be in it?" Jude smirked.

Nic shrugged mischievously. "A girl doesn't kiss and tell."

"Does she do it and tell?" Jude joked, dodging the plastic cup Nic threw at her. "I'm kidding! Alright, I guess I should go to bed, so you can go give my guitarist something to sing about." She pushed Nic out the door and walked to her bedroom.

"Please tell me that Nic and Spiederman aren't alone down at her apartment?" Tommy begged as Jude climbed into bed. "That's highly disturbing."

Jude laughed and fell into him. "Oh, shut up. It's not as bad as when we first hooked up; I mean, two years isn't exactly seven, babe."

"But Vin Spiederman?" he scoffed in disbelief. "I mean, he's not exactly the most mature and responsible kid, you know? Emphasis on _kid_."

"Don't," she yawned. "Nic's a big girl and no, he's not the most mature guy, but he's not stupid and he'll treat her okay."

"I hope so," he sighed, wrapping his arms around her before drifting off into a deep sleep.

Nic entered her dark apartment and tripped over a stray pair of pink Converse laying near the door.

"Have a nice trip?" Spiederman laughed from his seat on the red couch Jude had left.

"You're so lame," she told him, sitting down next to him. "So, why is it that someone as charming and wise as you doesn't have at least four women?"

"I've had options," he admitted, "but no one that special. Like, I guess I want what your brother and Jude have, like I said."

She leaned into him. "So do I, someday," she admitted. "Not tomorrow, or next month, but one day, I'd like to grow up."

"Not me," he sighed contentedly. "Just call me the real life Peter Pan; Wally and Kyle are my Lost Boys."

"Can I be Tinkerbell?" she joked. "Jude can be Wendy, Tommy and Kwest can be those little boys."

"And Darius is Captain Hook," Spiederman laughed. "Liam can be his little henchman, Smee."

She smiled. "We've got ourselves a fine cast."

He leaned down and kissed her softly.

"What was that?" she asked. "Not that I didn't like it."

"Just felt like it was the right time," he shrugged. "Now, let's just go to sleep; Spiederman is tired."


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Alright, gang, here it is- the end. I know, everyone's sad, but it ends on a good note and don't worry, I have one sequel done, the sequel to that almost done, and another sequel after that in my mind. Now, I know this one focused a lot on Jommy, but Spiederman is my favorite character and since I created Nic, I switched the focus, but Jommy will still have their definite moments. And, if anyone has any good ideas on a title for the sequel, let me know cause I'm open to anything. Reviewers, you guys have been amazing.**

Jude woke up on her wedding day with a start, already incredibly nervous.

"Jude, will you stop pacing already?" Nic asked early that morning. She had allowed Jude, Sadie, and Sophie to stay at her place while Kwest stayed with Tommy at their place. "What are you so worried about? Tommy not showing?"

"No, but pretty much everything else," Jude admitted. "I mean, I let Sadie and Portia do all this stuff, so I don't know anything except my dress." She stared at the closet it was in. "I can't wait for him to see it." She looked back to Nic. "Thanks for holding it here."

Nic shrugged as Sadie stumbled into the kitchen. "No problem." She handed Sadie a mug of coffee. "You look like you could use this."

The girls spent the day getting ready, having their hair done and their nails manicured. Finally, it came time for Jude to get dressed.

"Oh, Jude!" Sadie gushed. "You look gorgeous!"

Jude faced the mirror in Nic's room, trying to contain her goofy smile. Kat had done an amazing job. It was relatively simple, just hanging to her calves. It had an empire waist cut with spaghetti straps and the satin flowed out at her thighs. It was light and airy and required no shoes, as per Jude's request.

"Tommy will lose it," Nic assured her, adjusting her Chanel cocktail dress. "Talk about flipping a lid." She smiled once more before grabbing her purse. "Alright, I'm going. Lydia just called and said that they landed." She left, leaving Sadie and Jude alone, as Sophie was riding with her.

"So, this is it," Sadie sighed. "The last of the Harrison clan is getting married. I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little sad."

"How do you think Dad is feeling?" Jude laughed. "We had a big talk last night and he cried, Sadie! Our father, Stuart Harrison, _cried!_ That, of course, made me cry and it turned into Sob Fest 2006. Man, I'm getting married, Sadie! Me! Like, you getting married was just nature taking its course, but me? Not so much. And to Tom Quincy? Even more bizarre."

Sadie nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But, you guys totally deserve each other, Jude. I mean, you're so totally in love it's a little repulsive. Plus, think of the angry, makeup sex you'll have when you all have one of your crazy, out of control fights. Pure bliss, I promise."

"You say that from experience?" Jude asked, walking into the living room, looking at her watch. "Oh, God, it's 4:00; the ceremony starts in two hours, Sadie. And after that, I'll be Jude Harrison-Quincy."

"A hyphenated name?" Sadie said. "Tommy went for that?"

"He suggested it," Jude corrected. "Said I could just take Quincy if I chose to, but that keeping Harrison left me my own person, which he figured I wanted, so he offered to let me hyphenate. And, I did."

They rode together to the park, where a small enclosed tent had been set up, divided by a thick sheet, for the wedding party. Sadie and Portia helped Jude with her last adjustments while Kwest and Darius tried to calm Tommy's nerves. Finally, a soft violin started playing Edwin McCain's hit song, 'I'll Be,' signaling Tommy and Kwest to take their places at the alter with the reverend.

"Oh, my God," Tommy heard Victoria mutter as Jude appeared with Stuart at the end of the aisle, ready to walk towards her life with Tommy. "She's beautiful," she whispered excitedly to Don.

_'That doesn't even begin to describe her,' _Tommy thought to himself as the father and daughter approached him. He felt tears forming at his eyelids, and, ever the macho man, he tried his hardest to control them.

The ceremony was short and sweet, just as they'd recommended. Earlier that week they'd decided on recited vows because they'd each prepared speeches for the reception that would go more in-depth on how they were feeling.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife; you may kiss your bride," the reverend told Tommy at the end.

Tommy didn't need to hear anymore. He leaned in and kissed his wife. _His wife_. He'd been married before, yes, but it wasn't the same. Jude was finally his and he had the rest of their lives to show her how desperately he needed her. Just as they were about to walk away man and wife, a familiar figure in the third row caught his attention. "Mom?" he choked.

"Yeah, it's her," Jude assured him in a whisper, leading him down the aisle. "Don't worry, Allen and Lydia are bringing her to the reception so you'll have time to see her there. For now, _People_ magazine wants our official wedding portrait." She took his hand, led him down the aisle, and back into the tent to wait for everyone to go to Darius' house for the party.

An hour later, after a thousand poses, Jude and Tommy pulled the Viper into the circular driveway and looked at each other.

"We're married, girl," he told her happily. "And I want this to be my last one."

"Me, too," she laughed. "So, are you gonna wear your wedding ring? I mean, Kwest does, but my dad and Don didn't and don't. You don't have to if you don't want to. I mean, I know it's probably bad for your reputation."

Tommy eyed her. "Jude, I'm wearing it. I know it's corny, but it's a symbol to me of us. And, my dad never took his off, so get used to seeing this platinum band here," he joked, showing off his ring. "Plus, it matches yours."

"How cute," Jude smirked as he got out and came around to open her door. "So, are we being announced or just surprising everyone?"

Before he could respond, a hush fell over the backyard as they slowly made their way in that direction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is with my greatest pride and deepest pleasure to welcome here tonight Mr. and Mrs. Tom Quincy!" the DJ, who was another nephew of Darius', called out to the guests.

"Uhh, that's Jude _Harrison_-Quincy!" Jude yelled jokingly over the applause. "But, you'll get used to it."

"I can't believe my little girl is married," Stuart sighed, approaching the newlyweds with Yvette, the travel agent he'd left Victoria for. "And she's having a baby." He hugged Jude tightly, kissing her cheek. "I'll always be here when you need me."

"I know, Dad," Jude told him, trying not to cry. "I love you." She looked up at Yvette. "Yvette, thanks so much for coming."

"It was a lovely ceremony," Yvette smiled warmly. "You look gorgeous, Jude."

Stuart looked at Tommy and held out a hand for him to shake. "You're not the most conventional choice for my daughter, but you're obviously the right one."

"Thank you, sir," Tommy nodded. "And I love your daughter more than anything so I promise to take care of her the best I know how." He looked around. "Jude, I see my mom."

"Alright," she nodded, waving to her dad and his girlfriend before following Tommy to a table near the house.

"Oh, Tommy!" Lydia, a lovely, well-aged woman cried out with a hint of a French accent, standing to hug him. "Jude, dear, you look beautiful." She kissed Jude's cheek. "It was a wonderful wedding, wasn't it, Alexandria?"

Jude just stood back as Tommy sat down next to his mother. "Hi, Mom," he said quietly. "I'm really glad that Jude and Nic got you here, knowing how important it was to me without me even having to say anything. You look very nice and I'm sure you'd be happy to hear that." He chuckled lightly, holding out a hand to his wife. "So, Mom, this is my wife, Jude. She kinda reminds me of you in that she's stubborn and hard-headed, but she's got a good heart, just like you do. Sophie loves her and we're having a baby in April, but you probably already know that. I'm so happy, Mom, which is something that is an accomplishment for me, I guess. I mean, I've never been the most promising guy in the world. But, Jude makes me better than what I was. She makes me a better person." He didn't want to say anymore because his speech would go into all of that. He lightly kissed Alexandria's cheek before standing up. "We'll come back later," he told Allen and Lydia as he and Jude walked away to greet their other guests.

"She's lovely," Jude told him. "Nic looks exactly like her; and you have her eyes."

"I've been told that all my life," he nodded. "My mom was definitely one of those women whose distinct features just stood out and her eyes did."

"So do yours," Jude told him, taking his hand. "So, it's okay that I got her here?"

Tommy stopped, took her into his arms, and hugged her tightly. "It couldn't be better, girl." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Thank you."

"Eh, it was nothing," she joked, kissing him softly. "So, which table should we grace first?"

"Uhh, how about that one?" he suggested, pointing to the G-Major table. Around it sat Darius, Portia, Liam, SME, Shay, and Eden. "Kwest and Sadie are with your parents, right?"

Jude nodded. "Yeah. Now, let's go be civil to Eden, have her kicked out, and enjoy the night."

"Jude, you look gorgeous!" Portia gushed, standing up to hug and kiss them on the cheek. "And Tommy, even though you're just in khakis and a button-up, you look nice, too."

"Thank you," Tommy nodded, shaking all the men's hands. "Shay," he nodded gravely.

"Tommy, it was a wonderful ceremony," Eden cooed cutely, staring at him intently. "But how come you guys did traditional vows? I mean, you're definitely the people to write your own stuff."

Jude sighed, already tired of being around her. "We're giving speeches here tonight, so we just did the vows quick and easy."

"I didn't ask you," Eden sneered. "I was talking to your husband."

"Alright, Shay, I think that's enough," Darius spoke up. "You two are free to go."

Shay rolled his eyes. "Way to go, Eden." He stood up and smiled softly at Jude. "You look nice, shorty. Congratulations to you both." He led Eden away from the yard sadly to his rented Mercedes Kompressor.

"Alright, umm, if we could have everyone's attention?" Nic said to the guests as she and Spiederman took to the makeshift stage the DJ was set up on in front of the dance floor. "Now, as you all know, when you went into the wedding this afternoon, Spied and I asked you to fill out a little card, asking you to describe both Jude and Tommy separately in one word and then their relationship in one word. Tonight, we thought we'd share with you some of the nicer and funnier comments."

Spiederman cleared his throat as he held up the first card. "This one was written by our favorite A & R guru, Liam Fenway. Okay, it says _'Jude in a word is childish and Tommy in a word is arrogant, but together, they are quite dynamic, even if they tend to waste the studio's money.'_" He smirked at Liam. "Who knew you were so wordy?"

"My turn to read one from Maria, Sophie's nanny," Nic announced. "_'I met Tommy when he was just starting to raise Sophie and the one word to describe him back then was dark. He only smiled for his daughter and he was never really happy. Then, we came here and I was suddenly introduced to Jude, the lovely blonde whom had haunted his dreams and she was enchanting. Now, seeing them together, they're just happy.'_"

"Wow," Jude breathed, smiling at Maria across the yard. "That was really nice of her."

"She's a great woman," Tommy agreed, kissing the side of Jude's head as Spiederman and Nic pulled one last card from the top of the pile.

"Okay, so we decided to write our summary of the two of them together, so I'll read what Spied said about Tommy, he'll read what I said about Jude, and we'll tell you together what we think of both of them." She cleared her throat. "Alright, according to Vin here, Tommy is _'well-known for having no sense of humor and a stick up his well-toned butt.'_"

"While Nic says that Jude _'is cute but needs guidance because she's still young and learning.'_"

"Wait, you said these all had to be in one word and everyone is writing paragraphs!" Wally yelled up.

"Uhh, no comments from the peanut gallery," Nic told him. "Okay, so on the count of three, we'll tell you what Jude and Tommy are as a couple." She looked to her now-boyfriend. "1."

"2," he put in.

"3," they said simultaneously. "_'Idiots.'_"

The guests all laughed and clapped as the two of them left the stage and sat back down, Spiederman at the G-Major table and Nic with Allen, Lydia, and her mom.

"Thanks," Tommy smirked at his sister. "Real nice."

The reception was lovely and by the time they were ready to do their speeches, Tommy was sweating bullets. Sure, he was once Little Tommy Q, but getting in front of crowds still scared him and a crowd this intimate only made it worse.

"Alright, we all know that Tommy and Jude shared traditional vows at the wedding, but that was because they wanted to do something special here, so after a coin coss actually, Tommy's gonna go first," Sadie told everyone over the microphone. "So, ladies and gentlemen, Tommy." She smiled and handed him the microphone.

He took a deep breath as he stood up in front of everyone, preparing his thoughts one last time. "Never in all my life did I expect to be married." He paused while everyone laughed, as most of them knew about his so-called marriage with Portia all those years ago. _This is good,_ he thought. _Starting with a laugh is good_. "I know I've told this story a thousand times, but for my added bit to work, I've gotta do it once more. When I met Jude, I was still living in the past. I was still Little Tommy Q, the ex-boy bander with a bad reputation and a worse attitude. When my solo career took a nose dive, I needed an outlet to regain the spotlight and when Georgia, who I'm utterly disappointed failed to show, along with EJ, asked me to come and produce her little contest winner, even though I thought it was a horrible concept, I agreed, thinking if she actually turned out great, I would be back. So, my first day on the job, I walked into G-Major, looking for a blonde little princess in a miniskirt and high heels. What I found was as different from that as night from day. Jude was this angst-filled teenager with flaming red hair and lots of raw emotion. She'd been _disgusted_ to find that I was going to produce her, so you now know we've been butting heads from the start." Everyone laughed again as he loosened up more and more. "Anyways, our relationship from there to here has been worse than Whitney Houston's relationship with cocaine. But, now that the kinks are worked out, I sometimes feel like congratulating myself for finally finding the one girl that makes me _me_. I wasn't Little Tommy Q, that's for sure. She challenges me every single day and I think I challenge her. And that's a good thing. Sophie adores her, so I couldn't ask for more, and I know that our baby will adore her just as much." He looked over to his wife and smiled. "She's still just an angst-filled teenager, though now with blonde hair and yet, not without the raw emotion; but, she's _my_ angst-filled teenager, completely beyond her years. To steal something once said by Shay, 'the Beatles had their Jude and I have mine.' So, Jude Harrison-Quincy, for that, I thank you." He winked in her direction and raised his champagne glass before taking a quick drink.

Jude kissed him softly when he got back to their table and smiled. "That was a little cutesy, even for you, Tommy."

"I took a chance, so shoot me," he smirked. Another memory from the past.

"Taking chances seems to be all the rage these days," she put in, remembering her line, word for word.

"Well, isn't that adorable," a familiar female voice said behind them. Neither had to turn around to know it was the infamous Georgia Bevans, the original owner of G-Major Records. "And to think, I almost missed celebrating the union of two of my favorite people to meet with Clive Davis in Milan."

"Georgia!" Jude cried, standing to hug her, only to find that next to her was Georgia's longtime right-hand woman, EJ Li. "EJ!" She, too, received a hug.

"Tom, I'm impressed," EJ admitted, admiring his attire. "I never thought I'd see you outside without the leather jacket."

"First time for everything," he smirked. "We were afraid you guys wouldn't get your invitation in time."

Georgia smiled. "We didn't. I got mine the morning of the night I was leaving for Italy," she explained. "But, this was more important cause it was high time you two stopped being so stubborn and just admitted you were in love."

"Thanks for the support," Jude teased. "Well," she sighed, "I believe it's time for the pretty one to give her speech."

"Oh, Sadie's going back on stage?" Tommy joked. "I'm kidding!" he added, dodging a slap in the arm. "Go on."

"Hello, everyone," Jude said into the microphone a moment later. "So, the coin toss was rigged cause we just wanted to save the best for last." A slight pause for laughter before she went on. "So, when I met Tommy, to make a long story short, I was incredibly bummed. I wanted Billie Joe from Green Day and somehow got stuck with a washed up pretty boy. I mean, what could he possibly know about producing good music when he never even sang good music, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. And trust me, I'm not one to admit I'm wrong unless I'm really and truly wrong, so you know that's saying something there. Anyways, my first album kinda tanked, and that's when Darius took over at G-Major and things changed. Schedules were tougher, I was missing more school, and the dynamics between Tommy and I evaporated. At the time, though, it was because he was dating Sadie which was awkward and I was completely uncomfortable with it. Blah, blah, blah, I dated Spied, Sadie dumped him, me and Spied parted ways and it all came down to one night _last _May." She knew most of the people knew she was referring to the night of the non-date. "I was left hanging at the restaurant, watching his car speed away into the night, leaving me to guess and wonder for a year. Then, at the end of June, he returned with darling little Sophie in tow and basically, all was forgiven. Yeah, we had a minor case of me bolting between then and now, but we worked it out cause we just knew we could. We've always known we could work everything out cause we're just Jude and Tommy; always have been, always will be. Now, here we are, married and with a baby on the way. Honestly, I never saw myself getting married, just kinda playing music my entire life, living out of a tour bus."

"With what band?" Spiederman called out. "We all have lives, dude!"

"Can it," she told him jokingly. "Anyways, before I was so rudely interrupted, Tommy and I have had our fair share of problems. No, scratch that; we've had _everyone's_ fair share of problems, but we got through them cause, and as lame as this will sounds, it's true, we just loved each other that much. He's taught me so much in only three years and I know he'll teach me a lot for the next 70. I've grown up because of him and yet, he loved me when I was still a kid. And so, for that, Tom Quincy, _I_ love _you_." She raised her water-filled champagne glass in his direction this time, blew a kiss, and walked back to their table.

"Aren't they cute?" Portia teased, taking the stage. "Well, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Portia Mills, Darius' sister and Tommy's first and disastrous wife, and with my help, Tommy has saved his wedding gift to Jude until tonight."

"Oh, the big surprise, huh?" Jude whispered, nudging her husband.

"Maybe?" he shrugged coolly, trying to play it off.

Before Jude could say anything, Spiederman snuck up behind her and wrapped a silk scarf over her eyes, blinding her vision. "Hey!" she yelped. "What's going on here?"

"Shh," Tommy told her calmly, taking her hand to lead her to the dance floor as everyone else cleared it. "You said you wanted this to be our wedding song and so it is," he said, nodding to the guy on stage to start the music.

Jude pulled the blindfold off as the Edwin McCain classic 'I Could Not Ask For More' started playing. But that wasn't the surprise. No, the surprise was that Edwin McCain himself, one of Jude's secret favorite musicians, was playing the song on the stage with a little back-up help from SME.

"Tommy!" she cried. "How did you do all this?"

"Connections," he replied smugly. "Well, Portia's connections, at least."

"I love you," she murmured, swaying to the music in his arms, feeling the safest she's ever felt. "Maybe more than you know."

He smiled as he kissed the top of her head. "Trust me, I know," he assured her. "Cause I love you just as much."


End file.
